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{
    "id": 661942,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/661942/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 325,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I hope that my brother considers adding former Vice Presidents to the list. I do not know where my brother wants to place former Chief Justices because someone who has held that position is unlikely to get any other job other than being a retired respectable person. At the age of 70, we should give such a person honour because we will be lucky to see them off 10 years upon retirement. If one has held such a high office and then all of a sudden, one’s stature drops, it has a terrible impact on one as a human being. It would be good if we allowed former Chief Justices to continue using the flag and the siren. Sometimes it may not be necessary but depending on how different regimes behave, we need also to consider putting in the law that they are also entitled to state security. We have some vindictive leaders who come into office and become retributive against their perceived and known enemies and start abusing state authority as Jubilee is doing to hon. Raila and hon. Kalonzo. Even after Parliament passed the law to give them their pension, they started putting clogs that they will be given pension if they leave active politics. Sen. Haji who is an active Member of this House is a pensioner. Sen. Musila is an active Member of this House too and he is a pensioner. You can work for the United Nations (UN), get your pension, go back home and become a President and continue earning a pension from the UN. When hon. Yekoyada Masakhalia was in Parliament with us, he showed me his pension slip. He was earning a pension of US$2,000 from the UN and still earning a salary as a Minister and Member of Parliament (MP). Madam Temporary Speaker, when the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) came to see us they talked about bringing some hygiene in the conduct of public life and politics so that we start talking to each other and not at each other. My brother, Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki may consider it. We do not need to bring another law. We can consult and see whether we can bring a new clause at the Committee Stage to cater for those kinds of things so that we remove discretion where it is not necessary so that if you leave this House as a Majority Leader, there must be some things that you are entitled to that nobody should take away because he or she does not like how you look, walk, behave or where you come from. Equally important, we need to have a situation where this is constitutional. It may not be done here. In a country like Burundi - it may not be a very good example but it is happening – In Rwanda, all former Presidents are automatically Members of the Senate. It gives them an address. Beyond being a retired President, it puts them in a position to continue playing an important role in public life. In Burundi, Mr. Ndayizeye, Mr. Buyoya and all others who have been there are Senators. It is good. I would imagine a situation where Mzee Moi, Mzee Kibaki and very soon when we retire President Uhuru in the next elections, we give him a landing ground to come to the Senate and sit there; assuming that after being kicked out after one term, he can mend his ways with Kenyans, then from there he can still vie in another election, win, do another term then come and retire here. Therefore, I would like to see a situation where constitutionally, retired presidents and prime ministers automatically become Members of the Senate so that they are recognised. Those who are malicious will deny them pensions. However, they will then have the comfort that they are here. They will earn some income and living. It helps. You never know whether it will be my brother here or me, even that noisy man called hon. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}