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{
    "id": 1264296,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1264296/?format=api",
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    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker for this opportunity. At the outset, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our gallant soldiers who died while defending our land. The AlShabaab and other armed groups have wreaked havoc not just in Lamu County but also in the north-eastern Kenya region, where we have seen attacks in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties in the past few weeks. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I believe this is not just the work of Al Shabaab fighters who have crossed over from Somalia, but also homegrown elements who are assisting them in traversing the terrain, which they know very little about. So, there is need for concerted efforts by not just the Government, but also from the public to fight these people once and for all. If they get a foothold in our country, we will see much more brazen attacks that will jeopardise the peace and security that we so much cherish. We are sitting on a ticking bomb, looking at the thousands of young people in those marginal areas where this group is now operating. I am talking about places like Lamu, Mandera, Garissa and Wajir. Their target is to recruit as many of our young people as possible in their campaign of violence. If we do not do something about this, it will be to our detriment. So far, the National Police Reservists (NPR) are at the forefront of defending this country. These are people who have been chosen because of their knowledge of the terrain, the people and language. Some of them are armed while others are not and this makes them sitting ducks when it comes to fighting this group effectively. There is need to remunerate them better than they are currently. In my constituency, we have seen sometimes three months pass before they are given their dues. Their dues are also deducted by some senior police officers and this is unacceptable. We need to properly train, kit and remunerate them so that they form the first line of defence in ensuring that we do not get attacked, going forward. Hon. Temporary Speaker, no amount of conventional warfare will work against this group. In the course of doing journalism over the past 25 years, I have covered groups like"
}