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    "id": 754596,
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    "content": "the Standing Orders. The qualification of a Speaker of this House is provided for in Standing Order No.6. Now, we have a very important and privileged position because if this Senate had wanted to have their Speaker to, first, come with a clearance from the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC), courts and certain forms from certain institutions, nothing would have been easier than to include that in the Standing Orders. Luckily, Sen. Orengo led the process of revising these Standing Orders. He played a very important role in coming up with these Standing Orders. I want to concede that Sen. Orengo first came to Parliament when I was being born and so he is not a man of little experience. He became an advocate when I was still a minor. So, he was not wrong in leading this process and coming up with Standing Order No.6. Had he foreseen a situation where we needed this, he would have included it here and we would have passed it in this House – at least the privileged few of us who came back here. For me, in the first place, we go to the principles and provisions of the law. Secondly, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. is talking about a situation of conflict of interest where you find yourself in the House and a report relating to you coming in. The Standing Orders are very clear. It is not only applicable to the Speaker. You could be a chairman of a Committee and the situation is being discussed where there is a conflict of interest. In fact, the Constitution and the Standing Orders require every Member, even before debating on a matter on the Floor of the House, to first declare where he or she has an interest in a Bill or he or she does business in an area being debated on. That is not new.. Any other time that we find the Speaker in a situation of conflict of interest, the Standing Orders have made provisions for handling that. There is a Deputy Speaker and the Speaker’s Panel. There is also a procedure of removing not just the Speaker but all the elected Senators. Lastly, we are in an extremely privileged position that we are the voters. I have seen the box that has been put but I have not seen the equivalent of forms 34A and 34B. However, I believe that we are moving to that stage. My point is that we are in the most privileged position. If you think that you do not trust or believe in any of the candidates that has been provided, we have a chance to make that decision by voting. That is the privilege that we have been given. Above all, we welcome many of the newly elected Senators. Those of us who were here before agreed that this is a very sober House. We must handle our affairs in a very sober manner and look at it as per the law. I believe that as a country, we must move forward. I ask Senators that let us not shoot ourselves. I know a few Senators here who have gone through legal processes where courts have recommended their prosecution or a Committee said so-and-so should be charged. Senior lawyer, Sen. Okong’o Omogeni, senior counsel Sen. Amos Wako, senior professor and my teacher, Sen. (Prof) Kindiki and many other lawyers who are here know that presumption of innocence is so key that it had to be in our Constitution. This was to ensure that you protect people from mob lynching and so forth. To the best to my submission without mentioning any individual, we must carry out this issue in a very sober manner. Sen. Wetangula, I do not know why you are not senior counsel yet. You should be one because you are a senior lawyer. You can"
}