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{
    "id": 1291170,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1291170/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 80,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Aden Duale",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Defence",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "a commitment I have made. In the last year, I have not missed any session. I am sure the Chair of the Defence Committee of this House will testify. I will pass the message to the Cabinet as I have done before. I think the two important organs that the Cabinet Secretaries must comply with, in my opinion as a former legislator are, cabinet meetings and summons to the House. I think the only excuse is where a summons coincides with a cabinet meeting, then the House has always agreed. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am before this House to answer Question No.055 (a), (b) and (c). To start with, my answer to Question No. 055 (a) is this - Defence and security operations are conducted primarily to fulfil the national security objectives of our country and our region. Such operations result in unintended consequences, which include injury, fatalities, damage and destruction of equipment and sometimes death. It is against this background that the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) personnel who are serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) now and previously under AMISOM, have either been injured or paid the ultimate price while they are executing their number one mandate of securing the Republic of Kenya and its citizens, and number two, participating in regional security and stability. Madam Temporary Speaker, conscious of the fact that battle casualties are a reality whose statistics should not serve to glorify our enemies, but to honour and pay tribute to the individuals and collective acts of courage and sacrifice our men and women in uniform go through in defense of our nation. I request your Indulgence that I avoid tabling or giving statistics on those injuries and casualties to be made public. Our biggest worry is that this will be used as a propaganda tool by our enemies and more so, by the various forms of terror and terrorists in our region and in our country. Secondly, of course, when we complete our mission, when the history of our country and that of KDF contribution in the stabilisation of the region and more so in Somalia is made, then there will be visible and invisible outcomes that bring to light the real value of the sacrifices made by Kenyans in pursuit of regional peace and security. I am sure the Committee of this House and even this House in their oversight role of KDF, when they visit our camps, will have an opportunity to see plagues and memorial parks with the names of those who lost their lives in their line of duty and the honour they are given not only in the mission in Somalia but in other missions since KDF was formed. Therefore, that is the preserve of the Kenya Defence Forces Act and what the National Security Act within our Constitution prescribes. So, in a nutshell, KDF and Kenyans have over the years suffered causalities including loss of lives both before and after KDF integration into the AMISOM, now the ATMIS. While the exact number of injuries and fatalities cannot be publicly disclosed due to security considerations, we assure the House that every incident is properly documented and families promptly informed."
}