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{
    "id": 82504,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/82504/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 327,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Wetangula",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Foreign Affairs",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 210,
        "legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
        "slug": "moses-wetangula"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, regarding the issue of lawyer Kajima whom the Committee has used as the backbone of their Report, the Mission invited lawyers to bid for services. Lawyer Kajima was one of them and Yanagawa was the other. Mr. Kajima was not prequalified; he went off the stage. Mr. Yanagawa was prequalified and gave a detailed brief on the property, including the fact that there was a mortgage on it. He said: “Pay me 500,000 Yen for my opinion,” and he was paid; (it is worth Kshs450,000). He then said: “If I act for you in the transaction, you will pay me 2.8 per cent of the sale price, which translates to Kshs47 million.” In the event, the Embassy consulted with the head office, which then checked with the Embassy of Japan in Kenya and said: “We have judicial scriveners, who in our jurisdiction are called Articled Clerks. They do legal work. You can go and they will do the work for you at much less.” Mr. Speaker, Sir, the scrivener acted for the Government in this transaction. How much money was paid to the scrivener? It was Kshs389,000 for the entire transaction that yielded a title deed that is here in its original form. I have said this and I want to repeat it. If the process was convoluted, we must investigate it. But the Government bought a property and we have a title deed which is right here. Parties could even transact matters without lawyers. Many people who transact do that, but we were careful enough to engage a lawyer and again, go to the scrivener and save money for the country. In this regard, it is not true that services of professionals were disregarded. It is also not true that there was no valuation. The Mr. Olang’o that the Chairman referred to as a very qualified Architect returned a value of this property of Kshs2.9 billion. The document is here and I will lay it on the Table. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the long and short of it is that Ministers do not participate in transactions. We deal with what we are given. Ministers deal with policy. If there is any wrong doing on this matter that occasioned the loss of money, the Committee of Parliament is right in recommending investigations of those responsible. Certainly, the Minister does not procure, sign cheques or vouchers or chair any Committee meetings. The Minister does not also budget or do all the things that go through procurement."
}