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{
    "id": 643500,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/643500/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 106,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Waiganjo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2644,
        "legal_name": "John Muriithi Waiganjo",
        "slug": "john-muriithi-waiganjo"
    },
    "content": "In fact, they have created precedent. This Board is unique because we have some foreigners serving in it. Therefore, it has acquired a wealth of experience and that is why it is important to archive their work and give them the extension so that they can prepare a good report which this House will be satisfied with. It really does not matter like the previous speaker has said how many times we have extended. The extensions have come with very good and varied reasons. Remember these are judges and magistrates who are being vetted. They are jurists and each time they were vetted they would go for reviews, a situation that was probably not anticipated by the Board. The Board in its work sought adjournments on merit and that is why we extended their time. The last 90 days are very important and the Board will not be given a budget. I do not know why we should fail to extend its term because Parliament is not being asked to give more money. Secondly, this country has already spent millions of shillings on this Board. It is only fair to give them an extension so that they can conclude their work. It is only fair to give them an extension so that they can conclude their work. I agree with my good friend, Hon. Neto, that in future, we should anticipate a situation where there will be a vetting board which will be on standby all the time. If it is not, we need to have a standing committee for complaints, where Kenyans can complain about a judge or a magistrate. The Chief Justice has expressed himself very profoundly and has said that there is a lot of corruption in the Judiciary. There is also activism within the Judiciary. We cannot trust the JSC. The membership of the JSC is an extension of the Judiciary. Those who serve in the JSC are judges of the Court of Appeal, judges of the High Court, magistrates and even advocates. Therefore, when you have a JSC that is constituted in that manner, you will find that when the Vetting Board tries to vet those judges and magistrates, they go back to court and their cases are reviewed because we are just talking about the same group of people. If a member of the JSC is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a Senior Counsel representing a governor of a city like Nairobi and he or she is quoted in certain circles that he or she corrupted a judge of the Supreme Court, then what are we talking about here? We are talking about a Judiciary that is manned by people who are of questionable character. Whether that has been proved or not is a story for another day. This Board must give us the way forward. We must look at this Board and ask ourselves as a country whether we want to stop vetting magistrates and judges. Even when the term of the Board expires on 31st March, 2016, who will vet the magistrates who were admitted yesterday, for instance? Who will vet those who come after the Board is gone? Is it the JSC? What do we do with a JSC that even defies Parliament when they are asked to appear and give an account of their own? The conduct of judges like Hon. Ombija should tell us that there are gymnastics that are being played in the Judiciary. How do you go to court, stop your vetting then when you lose, you resign the night before? What are you telling Kenyans? You are saying that there are issues that you do not want the public to know. That is why you jump before the beat of the drum to purport to move away from the vetting. Kenyans will still know and by extension quote the same Act which says that the Board’s term is coming to an end and, therefore, it cannot vet you. Therefore, it is very important that we extend the term of the Board. The Committee expressed itself on the issue that there is need to have a standing committee where Kenyans can complain about judges and magistrates. There is nothing worse than when a Judiciary is corrupt. Even if corruption cannot be excused, there are institutions that when they are corrupt, the country goes to the dogs. We know The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}