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"id": 1151685,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1151685/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
"speaker": {
"id": 174,
"legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
"slug": "amos-kimunya"
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"content": "Hon. Speaker, a 'military veteran' in Part II of the Bill and basically Clause 6, is very specific in terms of definition. For avoidance of doubt, this is anyone who has served in the Kenya Defence Forces, anyone who became a member of the Kenya Armed Forces between 1963 and 2010 when the Kenya Armed Forces was changed to the Kenya Defence Forces. There are also those who served in the Kings African Rifles, as it was called before 1963. They completed service in the Armed Forces or the Kenya Defence Forces and currently receive pension from either the Armed Forces or Kenya Defence Forces. Most importantly, we are talking of people who have not been dishonourably discharged from duty. Those who have been discharged on medical grounds are, however, not in the same category whether or not they receive a pension. They will be regarded as military veterans for the purpose of this Bill. Again, the Bill is quite specific in terms of knowing who we are dealing with because if you do not figure out the person, we could end up with all manner of people coming up to claim that they are also veterans. Military veterans, as we all know, have served this country for a long time in a number of ways. They often put their lives on the line for our great country. We are talking of people who go out of their way. I know we have quite a number of them in this House. They did not just go there to spur with people. It is a matter of live bullets at play and that could extinguish one's life within seconds. We also know the threats that confront us as a nation both externally and internally. We have seen such cases when we are attacked by terrorists and people who do not like peace and order. The people we depend on, not just for our safety, but to dispel and give assurance that we are well protected, so that even the guys who would want to attack us feel that they cannot do it in the presence of our forces, are the people who serve within our forces. When they eventually retire, they become the veterans. By the time they leave service, they are, unfortunately, left struggling. Even when they start their businesses, because of the way they operate within the military, it becomes very difficult for them even to operate within the civilian societies. We are talking of two different sets of people, one, is so methodical and we saw that during the funeral of the late President. We were told that even if you are from this House, you have to finish business by a certain minute. There is nothing like asking, “Can we be given an extra five minutes”. A minute is a minute. It is with military precision. When you are used to that kind of precision and then all of a sudden you have to go and start negotiating with people to give you tenders, and they tell you to come back next week and all that, it becomes a totally different ball game. So, we know the culprit in that. We need to get some better mechanisms to fit there. I also know that there are quite a number of challenges. Those in the service may now be able to articulate that better. Their cases have been reported and they are about family breakdowns, impoverishment, and post-traumatic stress disorders, which unfortunately have led to people committing suicide. They are unable to access medical care among other things. This does not go down well, especially when you look at other practices across the world where people are treated much better. These are people who put their lives on the line for the safety of their countries. When we look at what is happening on the globe, we realise that others are doing things to give some dignity and decorum to these people. This Bill seeks to anchor, in law, some institutions. Resources will be allocated for their overall benefit. So, this Bill proposes to accord the following benefits to a military veteran: counseling and treatment for the Post Traumatic Stress Disorders or related conditions, which have now been documented and have become a main thing, the physical rehabilitation of medical conditions arising out of military service, the honor and memorisation of the fallen military veterans, education, training and skill development, advice on employment placement, and facilitation advice on business opportunities. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}