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{
"id": 755889,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/755889/?format=api",
"text_counter": 168,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kihika Susan Wakarura",
"speaker_title": "September 13, 2017 SENATE DEBATES 34 The Senator for Nakuru County",
"speaker": {
"id": 13216,
"legal_name": "Susan Wakarura Kihika",
"slug": "susan-wakarura-kihika"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Before I make my comments as far as the President’s Speech yesterday, let me first of all begin by congratulating you for being elected the Speaker of the Senate. I also want to congratulate my colleagues who have been elected to the Senate. I also take this opportunity, being my maiden speech, to congratulate the people of Kenya for getting out there to exercise their civic duty, their democratic rights and for voting on August 8th, 2017. I also take this opportunity to thank the wonderful people of Nakuru County for their overwhelming support in voting me in as their Senator. I take this opportunity to let them know that as long as I am the Senator for Nakuru, I will work very hard to make sure that their voices and indeed the voices of Kenyans are heard, loud and clear. As I now make my brief comments on the speech by His Excellency the President that he presented yesterday, first I thank him for that wonderful speech. When I watched him speak and also as I very diligently go through the speech, I am amazed by his level of soberness in the sense that given what he is facing; given what he has just gone through in the last two weeks. I am speaking about a sitting President who was voted for overwhelmingly, defeating his closest rival by more than 1.4 million votes, yet his win was taken away, not because it was ruled that there was fraud, corruption or that he did not indeed get those votes, but because of some technicality. I was amazed by the humility that was shown by my President. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would also wish to comment as well on the fact that as we look across to the other side of the aisle, I notice that our other colleagues have decided to boycott the sitting, claiming that the opening was an illegality. I would wish to very briefly respond to that and draw their attention to Article 142(1) of the Constitution of Kenya, on the term of office of the President, which states:- “That the President shall hold office for a term beginning on the date on which the President was sworn in and ending when the person next elected President in accordance with Article 136 (2)(a) is sworn in.” They cannot talk from both sides of their mouths; they cannot have their cake and eat it. They cannot celebrate the ruling of the Supreme Court which nullified the Presidential election, therefore ruling that the election never happened as far as the Presidency is concerned, and then coming in here to say that he is, indeed not sitting as President, given the powers he was given in 2013. So, if the election as far as the Presidency was cancelled, then he is in office because of the election of 2013. That is why he was legally able to come and open Parliament, which is within his rights. You also cannot claim under Article 134 that he is just in the Presidency temporarily, because as I stated earlier, that election was nullified. Mr. Speaker, Sir, having said all that, I also believe that it is within their rights to continue to boycott; we would hope at some point they can join us so that they can represent their people and those that voted for them. But, ultimately, if they feel the need to stay out as long as they need to, then that is okay too. We do have the numbers; we do have the quorum and we will continue to represent those that elected us. We will continue to work for them because we know and we believe that it is immoral to continue drawing salaries and benefits while you do not put it in a day’s work."
}