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{
    "id": 1264227,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1264227/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 324,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Fafi, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Farah Yakub",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my points to this Motion. I rise to support the Motion which is meant to support peacekeeping operations in neighbouring countries and elsewhere. When I read through this Report, I noted some matters that are of importance to me. I know the kind of operations that the Kenya military forces undertake in Somalia, which borders my constituency. I have a large contingent of KDF officers and cadets stationed in my constituency. One of the things I have noted is that most of the equipment used by our military are a bit obsolete and not of the standard of international military gears. A good example is the kind of vehicles they use for operations, the Toyota and Mitsubishi lorries. To the best of my knowledge, these are not the standards of international military. Most armies use top gear gadgets and vehicles like Jeeps and SUVs of high quality. The kind of military armours and uniform they wear are not of the same standards. I attribute this to the fact that our budget for those operations is low compared to other countries who dominate the operations. What I understand from the young men from my area who serve in the peacekeeping missions in Somalia is that there is a problem. The kind of stories they talk about, especially on remuneration and gears vis-a-vis the operations they undertake, are not good. Their remuneration is capped because of finances. I believe this Fund will make sure that our men and women in uniform are rated highly in the world. Another reason I support this Motion is that it is not only a mission of guns and vehicles, but that of winning the hearts of the people in the areas of operation. Winning hearts requires infrastructural development and community support. Most of these areas in southern Somalia, for example, where Kenya operates in Lower Juba, are deprived of simple social amenities like medical facilities, water sources and schools. If you see the international peacekeepers when they are stationed in a country, for example, the United States of America Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, though I am not saying we will reach that level, the kind of service they offer is not only a service of guns and military equipment, but medical personnel assistance, building of hospitals, provision of drugs, drilling of boreholes and building of roads. All these require money and our budget is still constrained. We can see what is happening. By having a sufficient amount of money to support that, it will help us win the hearts and minds of the people in the area we are doing operations like in Lower Somalia. These military operations will also help us in peace-building. Many elders, communities, talks and workshops will be held in those areas to facilitate co-existence and peaceful considerations. I support this Motion because I believe our operations in areas that we will be doing peacekeeping will be rendered areas of high value and our military personnel, equipment and position in the world will be seen at the same level and standard as up-level countries like Malaysia and maybe Japan. This is where we are headed. We leave behind the issues of substandard service and look for support from the international donor community to support even our military so that we are able to finance our own military operations in and outside the country."
}