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{
    "id": 756078,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/756078/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 127,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Member for Endebess",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I want to say that having gone through the last elections, it is quite unfair that the verdict given by the Supreme Court went the way it went, especially on the President’s win. Kenyans woke up very early in the morning on 8th August 2017; they went to their respective polling stations, voted and went home. After the votes were counted, the results were declared. That is why all of us are here. That is why the Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) are where they are. That is why we celebrated the governors. At times, it gives us something to think about. There is the issue of limiting the President to two five-year terms. In Uganda, our neighbouring country, on 12th October, a Parliamentary Committee voted to remove the age limit of a person aspiring to be the president in that country. The President of Uganda can serve as many terms as the people would want. It is high time we started thinking as Kenyans whether constitutionally the five years for a young President who is in early 50s is the right thing for us to do. You find that somebody who is approaching 80 years feels that he has to become a president at all costs through even the manipulation of the system of elections. You are being told the counting was okay, the voting was okay but the transmission was not. These are issues that Kenyans have to grapple with. As a House, it will be in order for us to even think of constitutional amendments that will be able to give complete independence to the various arms of the Government because there has been a lot of judicial activism and interference with the other arms of the Government. Look at it in the last term where the President, after the recruitment of the police, ordered that they go and report. But the court ruled that it had to be redone. The people’s verdict is that President Kenyatta has been elected by the majority votes. Three or four judges sit in the Supreme Court and say no, it has to go the other way yet we have those who dissented. So, these are the challenges that this House has to grapple with. As legislators, we need to start thinking of making constitutional amendments to make sure that even the presidency is protected because if you are President and you make an order and some people sit somewhere and make a judgement that overrules, how do we respect that presidency? With those few remarks, it is food for thought. It is the way to go and the 12th Parliament must stand to be counted. Thank you."
}