{"id":715892,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/715892/?format=json","text_counter":254,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Ong’era","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13117,"legal_name":"Janet Ongera","slug":"janet-ongera"},"content":"Mr. Speaker, Sir, from the onset, like my colleagues, let me also take this opportunity to thank you for the wisdom in which you have conducted these proceedings. First of all, I laud you for seeing it necessary and making express directions for the removal of the police officers who had barricaded the precincts of Parliament, particularly those funny green police gates that barricaded the roads leading to the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya. I also congratulate my colleague Senators for rising to the occasion. They have ably shown that they are men and women who can rise above partisan interest and deal with the welfare of Kenyans as one nation. They have indicated and clearly shown that they are men and women who can be trusted to carry forward the torch of peace for this country. I laud them. We want good laws. We want laws that can be perpetuated into posterity. We want laws that our great, great grandchildren can look back on and say, indeed, these laws were passed and legislated by men and women who had a vision for the prosperity and peace of this nation. What is important in our Republic is for us to create an enabling environment in which there can be peaceful elections, free and fair process, and a level playing field for all players across the field whether in the Majority or Minority side. As I indicated, I laud you for the wisdom; you have directed that the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights look at these laws so that they can give the public the benefit of participating. We will collect their views before we discuss these issues. That is the spirit of consensus ---"}