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{
    "id": 1472819,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1472819/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 180,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Kanja is not new to this House. He is the immediate former Deputy Inspector- General of the National Police Service. He is situated at Vigilance House. He has the ability to communicate with Members of Parliament. When a Member has issues concerning his or her constituents, he has been very diligent to attend to them without discrimination or feigning that Members of Parliament are actually disturbing him. These, among many other things, are the reasons we, as a Committee, have said that Mr. Kanja is suitable. We ask the House to join us in approving his nomination. There were memoranda presented about that particular nominee. Out of those 23 memoranda, it is actually mind-boggling to find that for the first time for a policeman at that level, majority of them were positive. They were in his favour. We note a memorandum that talked about his action during the Dusit D2 attack. The infamous terrorist attack took so many lives. His heroic actions and those of the other policemen who were with him are what saved so many lives on that fateful day. As the Chairman has already said, many questions were raised with regard to that nominee, particularly on the issues of corruption in the police force which is a teething thing. Many of us sitting in this House will turn around and say that the police service is the most corrupt institution. One of the questions that this nominee explained in very fine detail is that corruption is not only akin to the police force, but also it is a societal problem. We must begin to tie it down from the early age, in primary and secondary school, so that the society is fully aware about the pain of corruption in our society. On the invasion of Parliament, the nominee said with frankness that, indeed, that was a breach and there was omission or commission on the part of the police service. They should have done better on that particular instance. As a Committee, we have confidence that the nominee will bring together the National Police Service (NPS), Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) which is the oversight body of the NPS, and also the National Police Service Commission. Over the years, those three institutions that look at policy, oversight and the functioning of the police have not been working together. This has been a concern to the Committee. We have asked him that in case the House approves his nomination, he must be prepared to walk the talk to make sure that those three bodies work hand in glove. Finally, it is the issue of the police officers. In the recent months, they have been at the centre of debate both in the national media and among us, as politicians and leaders. We must ask ourselves whether Kenya needs a police force. What type of police force do we need? Police officers generally reflect the character of the nation. We cannot say that we have good people but bad police force. It does not really add up. The police force is a constitutional body. They must act within the Constitution. But equally, the Kenyan citizenry must also begin to identify with the police. We, citizens, must act within the law. The police officers are there under the Constitution to safeguard lives and properties. As we sleep in our homes, there are policemen on the beat in the night to make this country secure. For that reason, we must look beyond small or petty issues with the police force. It is important to actually identify that today, our police officers are doing a very good job in the Caribbean to restore normalcy to a country that had just gone to the dogs. That is how professional the police force is. Finally, I join my Chairman to request the House to approve this nominee. Thank you."
}