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{
    "id": 573202,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/573202/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 33,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Pukose",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1458,
        "legal_name": "Robert Pukose",
        "slug": "robert-pukose"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. Hon. Wamalwa is my neighbour in my county. He is a long-time friend whom I have known since our days at the university. I have never known him to be corrupt. I am one of the people who opposed that Bill; today I am very sad that things can degenerate to the level where there is witch hunt. I can assure them that when that Bill is brought back to this House, I will see the reason why that Secretariat needs to be vetted again. That kind of behaviour is not in line with Chapter Six of our Constitution. We expect the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to be above board, but when individuals degenerate to a level where they start witch-hunting Members of this House, it is unconstitutional. It borders on threatening the Members’ lives. It appears as if the Members are not safe when legislating. It seems that they cannot perform their duties as they should. I want to thank Hon. Wamalwa for raising this issue in the House and making Members aware of this issue. After Hon. Wamalwa raised the issue, some Members are saying that this has also happened in their areas. It is not limited to Kiminini Constituency; it can happen to any Member in this House. The EACC is abusing the mandate which the Constitution has bestowed on it. It needs to be careful. If we have a few rotten eggs within the EACC, this needs to come out very clearly. We even need to go a step further and provide that anybody who is working within the EACC should be vetted. We need to vet these people to ensure that they are above board. We have officers within the EACC who were riding bicycles and motorcycles, but today they own mansions and other big things. As President Obama put it the other day, you do not need a forensic scientist to establish what is happening within those places. Hon. Deputy Speaker, early this year I raised the issue of officers of the EACC intimidating officers within the counties. In the light of what Hon. Wamalwa has raised, this is true. As a House, we need to come up with a way of vetting the people who are working in the EACC, not just at the senior level, but even at the secretariat level. That is where all the problems are. With those few remarks, I say that this is a very sad day, indeed."
}