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{
    "id": 691899,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/691899/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 55,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Minority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to second this Motion. This is a culmination of almost a year of public altercations and wrangles in Nyeri County between the Governor and the Assembly. I say so because all this has been a matter of public knowledge in the media, everywhere. Before I go into the substance, I would like to advise our colleagues from the National Assembly from Nyeri County. I saw a grouping of them making unhelpful statements about the Senate and demanding that the Senate must uphold the impeachment of their Governor. This Senate is not a rubberstamp and they should be told that the impeachment will be upheld if there is evidence and rejected if there is none. I saw the same grouping of Members of Parliament (MPs) hurling insults at the distinguished Senator for Nyeri and telling him to keep off and not interfere with the process in this House. My distinguished colleague is across the Floor but I stand here to defend him; that even if he intended to do so, he has no capacity. This is because this House cannot be interfered with. The person and character of the Senator for Nyeri that we know, coupled with his decency and public knowledge, cannot allow him to descend to a level where he can interfere with proceedings in this House. We want to set up a Committee. I have consulted with the Senate Majority Leader. In fact, we talked on phone when he was in his county. When I asked him what he was doing, he said that he was busy mapping out streets and allotting the names. That is with a light touch. I asked him whether he could name one “Weta Street”. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have a task to discharge. Only last week, the President of Brazil, whom I have the distinct honour to have known personally, was sent out of office. She was not impeached because she was corrupt; she was beyond reproach. She was not impeached because she had stolen money; nobody accused her of theft. She was impeached because of a charge exactly similar to the first charge on these allegations: That she falsified the budget. That was enough to send her home. I am not inviting anybody to send the Governor of Nyeri home because there will be a hearing. I do not want to prejudge anything. However, that is how my good friend, Dilma Rousseff, who was a personal assistant to President Lula da Silva and who succeeded him was sent home and haunted out of office and the Senate of Brazil voted overwhelmingly. We have had several cases of impeachment in this House. In each case, we have set up Committees which did commendable work and brought their reports here. Like my brother said, in two of those cases, the High Court interfered. This time, you as our Speaker and your corresponding Speaker in the National Assembly made it clear to all and sundry that the High Court can shoot down what we have passed. However, it has no capacity to injunct us from 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."
}