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"speaker_name": "Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. The Chairman of the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights is living up to the word “vibrant politician,” by raising this very important matter. Madam Temporary Speaker, congratulations on your election. I hope and pray that you will sit on that seat on merit election by Senators to become the Speaker, at one time when I am still around. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have just read in the news that the Judiciary fund has been restored, as we were having this discussion. It is a good thing, but at the same time, it suggests strong-arm tactics that are being used by the national Treasury to intimidate. The idea of a Judiciary fund and the complete separation of powers was to ensure that the Judiciary does not suffer, as it has. Madam Temporary Speaker, this morning, for the first time since I started practicing law, Judges have been accused in the newspapers without a tribunal. The Standard reports four while the Daily Nation reports nine. In the Standard, they have put pictures of those Judges. That is defamation. Justice Mumbi Ngugi, Justice Muchelule and Justice Tuiyott have been defamed. We cannot allow this, because there is Kenyan somewhere appearing before Justice Mumbi Ngugi today, and they expect that Justice Mumbi Ngugi, like Caesar‟s wife, will be above reproach. It is a sad day, and I do not know who is going to save this country, because the Judiciary is under threat. Going by the newspaper reports, the Legislature has also been swallowed by the Executive. Who is going to save this country, if the Judiciary and the Legislature – which is supposed to defend the Judiciary, and vice-versa – ends up in the chaos that it has? Madam Temporary Speaker, I have very sad statistics about the standoff between the President and the JSC. The advisor of Government, Justice Kihara Kariuki, sits in the JSC. The President of the Republic has disagreed with the JSC, where his advisor is sitting. What does that say about the conduct and character of Justice Kihara Kariuki, a man we respect? Madam Temporary Speaker, I have it on record that up to seven judges are retiring by 2019 in the Court of Appeal. We have a shortage. They have estimated that in the current state of affairs in the Environment and Land Court, assuming anybody files a case in the land and environment jurisdiction of the High Court, it will take four years to complete it. That is already a violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens of this Republic. I would request the good Chairman, the firebrand Senator from Nandi, to bring these good gentlemen to the Senate. The National Assembly has not done it. Please call them here so that we can deliberate on this issue. The Bible in Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, and let us reason together.” We want to know the problem with these two arms of Government. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is a tragedy. I hope we do not get to a situation, like in 2007, where people took the law into their own hands because they do not trust 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."
}