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{
    "id": 768770,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768770/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 36,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ng’ongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "This is because if you look at our Standing Orders, they require that before a Bill goes to the Second Reading, the relevant Departmental Committee should look at it and do a report to the House even before the Second Reading. In the event they are not ready with the Report, they should report that position. So, I could see the difficulty that the Chair was in, in trying to see the best way to handle a very unique situation that probably the House presented itself to. Finally, I must also say that a lot of things are going on in the country at the moment, which require our House Committees to be active to deal with. The National Police Service has mishandled what I would call “public demonstrations” in this country. They have mishandled them big time. A lot of Kenyans have unnecessarily lost their lives. Young children have been shot unnecessarily. Therefore, if we had the Committee on Internal Security, by now the Inspector-General of Police would be answering to that Committee telling Kenyans why Baby Pendo could be shot the way she was shot or why that young boy who came home for holidays could lose his life in such circumstances. We need these Committees in place because we have a strong feeling that this country is sliding back in terms of the democratic space. We see the democratic space being narrowed. We see the clawing back on the gains. The Government has started with freedom of assembly. We can see freedom of expression under threat. I recently listened to Uhuru Kenyatta talk, and I actually heard him say that the people who are making comments in the media make him not want to watch the media. In fact, if you listened to him clearly that, to me, was like a threat to people who are freely expressing their opinions on current issues. This is something that this House must deal with because Parliament is not an appendage of the Executive. It is an independent arm of the Government. That is why we can still have a Parliament sitting and continuing with business even before we sort out the mess at the Executive, and even before we agree whether this country has a president or not. Hon. Speaker, I want the Committees of Parliament to take up their responsibilities and execute their functions because it is necessary. With those remarks, I second the Motion. The rest can contribute when their time comes."
}