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{
    "id": 839216,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/839216/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 254,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 366,
        "legal_name": "Amos Sitswila Wako",
        "slug": "amos-wako"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This is an important Bill, which I am glad is being passed now. The very serious powers of impeachment have been conferred to the Senate under our Constitution. In fact, Article 145 is very clear that, we, the Senate, the “upper house” and the House of elders should be entrusted the exercise of this very grave powers to impeach a President, and under the County Governments Act, to impeach a governor. Of course, when it comes to Cabinet Secretaries, (CS’s), this is done by the relevant committee of the National Assembly. However, for the impeachment of the governor and the President, it is upon us to exercise that grave power. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you were the Majority Leader in the previous Senate. I am sure you noticed that when we first impeached a governor, there were a number of people who were saying that the threshold for impeachment had not been met. In other words, they felt that whatever allegations there were against the governor at that time - let me use the words of the Constitution – “such as gross misconduct or gross violation of the constitution and other Kenyan laws.” These words are not only under our Constitution, but also our laws. Not everything can be provided for in law. Therefore, it leaves us now, to whom the powers have been given, to determine what is gross violation of the Constitution, not just a mere violation of the Constitution, but a gross violation. This must be more than a mere violation of the Constitution. What is gross misconduct? This is something that must be more than just misconduct. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we also noticed from the experience of the last Senate that if we permitted, as we did, interventions by the courts at all times, then there were those who boasted outside these chambers that: “Nothing will happen to me, I will be governor until the next general election.” We saw that prophesy being fulfilled in the case of one governor who boasted that he would remain governor until the next general election. He remained governor until the next general election and was cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He campaigned and won. The process has begun again, going from court to court. I believe the matter is now at the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}