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{
    "id": 1106025,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1106025/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, as we are talking about Teachers’ continuous development, I think we might now need continuous induction in the Senate to remind Senators that we do not cross the Floor without bowing to the Chair. Unlike many politicians who, for whatever reason or maybe lack of better imagination, will tell Kenyans to come back and build Kenya, I told them not to come back here. This is because they moved out of Kenya for a reason. There was something they were looking for. Those countries, for instance, the US, call themselves the land of opportunities. Those opportunities are where people have two or three jobs. Across the world, we are now seeing people asking for employment. I told them not to necessarily come back, but partner with us in Kenya to make Kenya a land of opportunity. Once they have done that, if whatever they are getting in the US, Saudi Arabia, UK or India is available in Kenya, they will bring themselves back here. There will be no politician who will have to tell anyone to come back home. That should be the mantra going forward. Let us partner with these Kenyans and have their database. Many of them are out of status and for that, they are shy to go to the embassies because they do not have documentation. We must treat these Kenyans with respect and they must partner with us. When I was the Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Foreign Relations, I realized our missions are not safe havens for these Kenyans. Our missions abroad must be a safe haven for Kenyans there. A Kenyan must know if they are in any trouble, they call the ambassador, the deputies and staff of the mission to come to their rescue not to run away from them. I call upon all our serving foreign missions to have that attitude that they are there to serve Kenyans not those foreign countries. We are there to represent the interests of the people of Kenya. In as much as there are many who are doing it out there, there are many who are not. There are those who quickly take the side of the foreigners, instead of Kenyans. That is why the Constitution is very clear that one cannot be a state officer, including an ambassador if they have dual citizenship. This is because when one is an ambassador, their allegiance must be 100 per cent to the Republic and people of Kenya because that is the first interest one serves. When I was in Washington DC, I met with people from the Office of the Mayor of Washington DC. They want to partner with Nairobi City County as sister cities. We have an agreement with Colorado about being a sister city with Nairobi which is doing well. We have a lot of things to share. We want to be sister City with Washington DC, with Los Angeles and London and some cities in Africa. I am confident that even next year, when I become the Governor of Nairobi City County, Inshallah - God willing - if the people of Nairobi will support me, and I am confident they will, we will strengthen and use the Kenyans who are living outside Kenya, to build our City of Nairobi and our country. Thank you so much, Sen. Kang’ata and Sen. Cherargei. I will support and propose some amendments, so that we bring this Bill in line with the other matters that have been thoroughly thrashed and discussed at length in the Labour migration policy. I support."
}