{"id":1112537,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1112537/?format=json","text_counter":23,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Omogeni","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13219,"legal_name":"Erick Okong'o Mogeni","slug":"erick-okongo-mogeni"},"content":"If a lease of one million acres of land that was in the hands of our former colonial masters, the British, expired, why can the Government not put in place mechanisms of handing this land back to the Samburu people? Having listened to this Petition presented by the Senator for Samburu, it is a wakeup call that we have still not dealt with historical land injustices in this country. The Ndung’u Land Commission that was presented is gathering dust in the National Assembly to date. We have not seen any compensation. The CS for Lands and Chairperson of the NLC, Mr. Gerald Otachi, should initiate some urgent measures of addressing some of these injustices. Otherwise, it does not make sense to Kenyans like the people of Samburu who have suffered for many years. Hon. Moody Awori who was a Vice President in 2004 made promises to the people of Samburu, but nothing has been done to date. The County Council of Samburu made efforts to address the concerns of these people, but nothing has been done. I recall that in 2008, in Australia, the then Prime Minister apologized. He made an apology on the floor of Parliament to the Aborigines of Australia for the historical injustices that these indigenous tribes had faced in Australia. Why can we not, as a Government, be courageous enough and come out and admit that some injustice was meted out to some tribes in this country, apologize to them and organize for their compensation, so that we bring this to a close? Otherwise, this is a problem that will remain for many generations to come, and I do not think it is fair. I hope that the Committee that will be tasked to look into this matter will go into the bottom of it and make recommendations that will bring the suffering of not only the Samburu, but other tribes that are faced with historical injustice to an end. I fully support, Mr. Speaker, Sir."}