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{
    "id": 1059412,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1059412/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank you. I rise to request a Statement on behalf of Sen. (Dr.) Mbito. This Statement is dated 27th February 2021, and it is similar to a Statement that I had requested. It is on an issue of general topical concern regarding addressing corruption in the police recruitment. Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) to make a Statement on an issue of general topical concern, namely addressing corruption in the police recruitment. Reports of widespread corruption in the ongoing hiring of police officers is, indeed, annoying. Some of the qualified candidates claim that they have been locked out on the flimsy ground that they could not raise the huge bribes demanded by recruiting officers. In some cases, results of the recruitment were shrouded in secrecy. The recent recruitment of the Kenya Defense Forces officers (KDF) can also not be said to have been above board. In both cases, families were asked to pay as much as Kshs500,000 in bribes for their kin to join the armed forces, with Kshs400,000 being the standard figure, which is unbecoming. Madam Deputy Speaker, one discerns two significant developments in the hiring. First, the country boasts of an army of young and educated people who are desperately looking for jobs. An opportunity to serve in the security services would not only have bestowed the youth with the patriotic duty to defend and protect their motherland, but also kicked off a journey that would lead to fulfillment of career dreams. Secondly, the entrenched culture of corruption stubbornly continues to characterize recruitment in the security services. This cruelty disadvantages candidates from poor backgrounds who cannot raise the bribes, dashing hopes and opening the door for disillusionment. There is something terribly wrong with a system that rationalizes and rewards corruption at the expense of merit and transparency. It also raises questions on the commitment of agencies such as the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC), Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), and the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), that are mandated to tame misconduct in disciplined forces. Therefore, serious measures should be put in place to ensure that there is sobriety in the security services sector. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}