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{
    "id": 969782,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/969782/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 324,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Yet again, throughout this trial I have been representing Members of the House who are not learned friends but highly educated. They make a majority in the House, because we have only three Senior Counsels. I have been a Senator for two years, 151 days and four hours. In that period, this is the first time that we have gone through such a process. I would like to commend Senators as well as the lawyers who represented both sides for sitting through it. Going very quickly, because I have heard what my colleagues have said in many words, we need to realize one thing. There has been the argument that we are not thinking about the stakes in this case. Every side has brought its issues, and I am glad that the county assembly was represented and they brought their issues. Mr. Speaker Sir, from my little understanding, when you file a preliminary objection even in a court of law, you accompany it with your pleadings and witness statements. This is so that in case the preliminary objection is dismissed, you quickly go into trial. I feel very strongly that the governor has been mislead by his legal team, and it is his choice. However, if those issues were brought to us, we would have listened to them. Let it go on record that Gov. Ferdinand Ndung’u Waititu Babayao has had his right to be heard by the Senate. We have actually heard him, even in his closing statements. However, the stakes in this case are not about the career of an individual. Protecting devolution is not protecting an individual. The stakes are about the lives of the millions of residents of Kiambu. The stakes are not about somebody’s family, but about all of those who were either disinherited from that plot of land or depend on a country that stands against corruption. The threshold that we have in Article 181 if the Constitution says very simply that if you have serious reasons to believe that, that crime has been committed---. The threshold is above balance of probabilities and below reasonable doubt in a criminal case, and I think that this House has been convinced. Sen. Cheruiyot said that we should be logical, but beyond being logical, let us be ethical. We cannot say that this was not the wife because they did not bring a certificate. We all know that the First Lady of Kenya is Margaret Kenyatta; she is the wife of the President. Who has seen their wedding certificate?"
}