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{
    "id": 691952,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/691952/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 108,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, first of all I have listened to the mood of the House. Being the Deputy Senate Majority Leader, I should have supported the Motion but because of the mood of the House, I totally agree that it is important for us to have--- Perhaps this is the last impeachment that we will have before we finish our term. It is also better for us to test a new system where the whole House will have an opportunity listen to the allegations. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to remind the House that in the Senate of the United States of America (USA), during an impeachment process, charges against any president or leader who is to be impeached are done by the House of Representatives but it is the Senate that conducts the trial. If you look at the Senate of the USA, you will see that they do not have an option for a committee. The whole Senate, presided by the Chief Justice, sits to carry out a trial. In this case, we need to try and see how it will work. For those who are saying it will be chaotic and difficult, there is already a precedent. It is not that the US Senate has not used it. They used it during the time of President Johnson and President Clinton. So, this is an opportunity for us as the Senate of Kenya to borrow from the procedures and the precedent of the American Senate. We need to sit down and try the Governor because it is a trial process. That is why I said this last time when the court overruled the directive to impeach the Governor of Embu; that even the American Courts have decided that they will not interfere with impeachment processes because it is a political question. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the trial of impeachment in our Constitution is the same as the American Constitution is in the Senate. For the courts to abrogate themselves that responsibility of determining whether--- One judge in the High Court is trying to determine whether our own Senate, sitting on trial to judge a Governor, was wrong or right. This is wrong because this is the final House. This is the jurisprudence we need to build. Unfortunately, I still believe our Judiciary has been compromised. I do not say they have been paid or they have been given anything, but there is an element of compromise whether by inducement or by decision by the Judiciary to just become selfish when it comes to its jurisdiction; for them to try to interfere with the impeachment process. I feel sad that we are sitting here and there is a Governor of Embu who is supposed to be home and we are sitting here again debating another impeachment process. I am not saying that 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."
}