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{
    "id": 895403,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/895403/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "we passed a Constitution that deals with individuals instead of institutions or issues that are meant for posterity. Madam Temporary Speaker, Sen. Wetangula captured that very well when he said that we need to focus on institutions and not individual friendships. We know all top politicians in this country lead by the former Prime Minister, the former Vice President, Deputy President and former Deputy Prime Minister, Musalia Mudavadi founded the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). They did it together through the same process. I did not want to say your party because you are presiding now. Indeed, they were friends and they moved around this country. However, you can see how they differ strongly. Assuming that institutions are built around those gentlemen, ultimately, you will find yourself in a situation where they are no longer friends, the country is apart. When they become friends, the country is united. We must find a formula that is beyond individual relationships. I know on the food security sector, Sen. (Prof.) Kamar) made a strong case of us investing in agriculture. She is right. Of all people, she has made a very important case on that issue. We, as a country, do not invest in sports, but we want to benefit from it. We do not invest in agriculture, but pride ourselves that we are an agricultural country. It is important that in the food security conversation, agriculture be focused in the manner in which it deserves. Madam Temporary Speaker, our conversation all the time is about the handshake, 2022 politics and so forth. These are things that are not integral to the problems that we are dealing with. Every time we raise these issues, we do so because there are Government technocrats from the Ministries and departments whose work every day is to ensure we make these Government Ministries and departments functional and answerable. When we talk about agriculture based on irrigation, we must also be able to put the resources in these institutions. We must put resources in these dams that we are building so that irrigation can be sustainable for the nation. I like what Sen. Omogeni said, which echoes what I did when moving this Motion that we must continue fighting corruption. There is no debate about fighting corruption. There should be no turning back on the desire to fight corruption. We must all admit and accept that, that must be done within the law. Sen. Omogeni spent a lot of time making a case for this important point and I know why. It is because other than just being the former Chairman of the EACC, he is also an advocate of the High Court of Kenyan with good standing. He is the former Chairperson of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and a senior counsel as well. It is important that when these people speak - as I said, he and Sen. Orengo spoke in court - that consistency must permeate every sector of our society so that we get results for what we fight. However, we must not also use that as an excuse to say that when people are incompetent and in office, they just wait for due process. There is no due process for incompetence. There is no need for due process where the President is satisfied that he is suspicious enough that a certain person is not qualified to hold office because either he or she is corrupt or inept. This should be the case as long as there is reasonable suspicion. That is why power is given to the President to appoint and disappoint certain people. For that reason, this conversation about innocent until proven guilty does not mean that the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}