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{
    "id": 730193,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/730193/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I would like to focus on a few aspects of the President’s Speech so that we can deal with the alternative facts and give Kenyans a real account of things and a real state of the nation. In hailing some of the progress that the nation has made, the President talked about the momentous transition that the Judiciary has made. I would have believed that particular statement and that he meant those words until he went to Kisii County and told the nation that the Kisii nation should be proud and happy that the Jubilee Government gave them a Chief Justice. At that point, I started to wonder whether the Chief Justice is appointed by the President and the Jubilee administration or that is an independent office upon which someone is appointed on the basis of merit by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). Madam Temporary Speaker, this is an alternative fact that the President and the Jubilee administration believe in the transition of the Judiciary. They still believe that the Judiciary is to be controlled and that the head of the Judiciary should owe allegiance to the Presidency for their position. I would like to encourage the Chief Justice not to be seen or painted as a Kisii candidate. I would like the Chief Justice to come out and refute the reckless statements that the President made while in Kisii that Chief Justice David Maraga is a fruit of the Jubilee administration. The Judiciary must be given the space that it requires. The President talked about the joy of a renewed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). However, the IEBC was not renewed through happy circumstances. Kenyans lost lives. At the very minimum, it would have been noble, patriotic and statesmanlike for the President to acknowledge the blood that was shed to get the IEBC that we have today. Unfortunately, we still see a conspiracy to defeat the will of the people. We are still seeing a narrative and situation where Kenyans are being told that peace is much more important than credible elections. We are being conditioned that even if the elections are stolen, Kenyans should make a decision to be peaceful because peace is the greater good. Peace is a good word and that is what we are told whenever we go to church. That is also what the colonialist told us. We would rather be peaceful than fight colonialists. Madam Temporary Speaker, if we succumb to this narrative that elections can be bad and bogus and the people have a responsibility to maintain peace, a bad government can lead to the death of many citizens. Therefore, the President lauds the issue of renewal of IEBC as an achievement but all the activities and narrations indicate that this was another alternative fact. The President talked about respect for independent constitutional bodies. He gave us as Parliament quite a lecture on why we must respect independent bodies. Speaking from the same mouth, you find that the Office of the Auditor-General which is an independent constitutional office is currently under siege. It is under siege in a scheme that you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know that it is a scheme that has been devised by the Jubilee administration. How do you tell Kenyans to respect independent bodies and offices yet your government sanctions the harassment and the hounding out of office of the independent bodies and office holders? Madam Temporary Speaker, how do you explain the harassment that is being visited upon governors in certain parts of this country? The office of a governor is recognised in the Constitution. Whereas I agree with the President that we must respect 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"
}