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{
    "id": 1196036,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1196036/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 38,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Let me take this opportunity first to congratulate Hon. Aden Bare Duale on his nomination and approval by this House to now serve as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence. I must indicate that I am immensely proud to have worked with him as our first Leader of the Majority Party. I am even more proud to take over the office that he defined. He defined what the Office of the Leader of the Majority Party will be under our Constitution, 2010. He shaped it into what it is today. I found Hon. Duale in this House in the 11th Parliament. I learnt a lot from him, as a Member of Parliament. When I joined this House as a new Member of Parliament, he helped me to settle down. He guided and shaped me into the person I am today. That is why I am very proud to take over the office that he leaves behind, having served as out first Leader of the Majority Party. We also served in the same party. We first served in Jubilee Party together, when he came in under United Republican Party (URP). I came in under The National Alliance (TNA). We worked together as we brought the two parties together to form the Jubilee Coalition. Eventually, we were both thrown out of the same Jubilee. We joined hands as founding members of UDA together with the other partner parties in Kenya Kwanza Coalition that moved on to form the Government this year. He is the only Member of Parliament that I can proudly say is my friend and a friend to my family. When we were in the dungeons suffering immensely under the previous regime, I remember one time, accompanied by my two daughters, I drove to Hon. Duale’s house. The following day he called my wife and told her because there were a lot of extrajudicial killings in this country, should anything happen to her husband, she should rest assured that her children would be well taken care of by Hon. Aden Duale and President William Ruto. He told her to support and pray for her husband in that fight. I know Hon. Aden Duale and his wife would call me late at night on many occasions. At one point, he used to sleep at 10.00 p.m. Eventually, we transitioned him to start sleeping at midnight or after midnight. He is now taking over a job where he will never sleep. Hon. Duale, be ready not to sleep as you defend our borders, lead our generals and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in protecting the lives and property of our nation and our people. I wish you all the best. Know that you have friends in this House. We will remember you. We are not bidding you farewell because you are just crossing the street to the KDF Headquarters. You are always welcome to this House. We welcome you as our emeritus Leader of the Majority Party. Hon. Speaker, I cut short my story on his prayers for my family and me. I thank God today. Having gone through what we went through with Hon. Duale and many of us who were in Kenya Kwanza Coalition, we stand here alive and our families are well. We thank God for that. I also thank Hon. Duale for the encouragement and courage he gave me continuously. He always told me, as a Muslim, you should fear nothing other than God. Through him, I almost became a Muslim in having the courage and determination to remain focused on what we were 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."
}