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{
    "id": 970904,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/970904/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 86,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Charles Njenga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for that protection. The Senate was convened by the Speaker on the 21st of January, 28 days later. The law says seven days--- ‘shall within seven days convene the Senate to hear charges’. We were convened 28 days later. Clearly, we cannot ignore the critical issues of law that call to account and to issue the validity of the proceedings that we are now in. We shall raise them in material detail when we are prosecuting our preliminary objection, but it is important to say that, that is an issue that we shall be raising as a preliminary issue. As I sit, you have been told that there are many allegations against the Governor. Yes, there are, and you can see them in the grounds set out. This House has had occasion to hear over eight such impeachment Motions and proceedings. In reports and matters that I have personally participated in this Senate has said that it is not enough to allege. Hon. Senators, what you must look for is evidence. When you are told a title was transferred you must ask for that transfer and find out who signed it. If you are told that persons were employed, you must interrogate the process. When you are told that the governor accumulated debts, you must find out whether those debts occurred or were incurred during his tenure or they inherited debts and what the Auditor General has said about those debts because all those are factors that have not been disclosed to you. When you look at them in the very end, you will be surprised that these are mere allegations. They are high in hype and emotions, but deficient on evidence. The question and game here is evidence. That is what you must look for. In the totality of the facts before you, and I have looked at the documents filed by the county assembly, there is no evidence filed to support the allegations. Therefore, we shall be saying in our final submissions that the charges before this House have not been substantiated. We shall be making extensive reference to previous reports of this House because this is a House of precedent, and there are certain things it has said are not impeachment questions. On questions like convening a county budget forum, the House has said that those are not impeachment questions. They have to rise to a level and the stature of gross violations as anticipated by Article 181 of the Constitution and Section 33 of the County Governments Act. Therefore, our submission in support of the governor’s case is that before you are politically instigated allegations that are deficient in evidence and cannot be substantiated. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir."
}