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{
    "id": 590753,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/590753/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 53,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Chepkong’a",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1154,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kiprono Chepkonga",
        "slug": "samuel-kiprono-chepkonga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.83 as read together with Standing Order No.53. I would like to join Hon. Midiwo in conveying my sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family of Hon. Mbadi, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Chairman, who lost his mother. The passage of the Bill yesterday, indeed, marks a low tide in this House in which we appear to have derogated from the principles of the Constitution. I do not want to repeat what the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Energy, Communication and Information has stated with regard to Article 34, but I would like to read Article 24 in which it allows Parliament to derogate from a fundamental right. It can only do so within the confines and the principles stated in the Constitution. It reads as follows:- “24. (1) A right or fundamental freedom in the Bill of Rights shall not be limited except by law, and then only to the extent that the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom, taking into account all relevant factors, including—” That law that went through the Committee of the whole House, to say that the media cannot report negative things that have happened in this House, is indeed, a low tide in this House. Article 95 of the Constitution clearly states that we represent the people and we deliberate and resolve the issues concerning the people. Who then is supposed to report those issues? Is it not the media? There is no other mouth that we can use other than the media. Secondly, if we misbehave, it is part of the report that the media must report to the people, that we have misbehaved. For instance, are we suggesting, God forbid, that if a man here rapes a woman, it should not be reported? That is fair comment. The media should be allowed to report bad things like those ones. He should not be protected from such things. There are others who are suggesting that the vice-versa can also happen but I have not heard."
}