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{
    "id": 1519014,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1519014/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 223,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is an honour to go after my Deputy Party Leader has spoken on the position of the party. First, I want to echo the words that the Senator for Vihiga County has said. We, as ODM, are extremely proud of the campaign that was run by our party leader, Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga. We are extremely proud because even some of us who are way younger than us were envious of his energy to put in all those hours of flights, to go to all those capitals to speak to all of those people so that they can support him. There is consensus across the country that there was nothing wrong with the candidate. We presented the best possible candidate Kenya could have. If you look at his stellar experience in public life, even on the continent as the African Union (AU) Infrastructure Envoy, for the past few years, we had the best candidate we could put forward. Last year, I had the opportunity to be a part of an observer mission, and it was the first time that I had undertaken such duties in my entire life. We were part of an observer mission for the elections in Somaliland. That is when I came to realize that sometimes, the decisions that are taken in our internal borders or the borders of one country, we think they are entirely our decisions. I learnt that many people, especially your geopolitical neighbors, have an interest in what happens in your country. When we were there, we realized that many of the countries around Somaliland had an interest. Addis Ababa had an interest in the elections in Somaliland. The people of Djibouti were watching very keenly what happens in Somaliland, and, of course, Somalia itself because they claim that Somaliland is part of the region of Somalia. What that experience showed us is that I am blindsided a legislator and a leader in this country when it comes to global geopolitics. It is no wonder that I made a conscious decision to join the committee in this House that deals with foreign relations. I have always felt that the lack of clarity when it comes to Kenya's foreign policy position is a problem for some of us. Madam Temporary Speaker, I will give you another anecdote before I say what I want to say. When I began my journey in politics, I tried my hand in a rural constituency called Kanduyi. I remember we used to send representatives to funerals because I used to operate out of Nairobi, I could not attend all functions. I remember the advice of one old man that the people you send who speak in your name are as important as you. Sometimes, they are even more important than you because that face that they see determines whether they elect you or they do not. I was told you must do family background checks. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}