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{
"id": 1521974,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521974/?format=api",
"text_counter": 233,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Abass",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13587,
"legal_name": "Abass Sheikh Mohamed",
"slug": "abass-sheikh"
},
"content": "As you are aware, this country has the longest borderlines with most of the neighbours, especially those that are unstable in Southern Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia. Most of these countries are unstable, and there is no proper law and order. There are so many criminals roaming around with their sophisticated weapons. As a result, Kenyan borders have remained porous and unmanned for many years. We have very few officers in the field. Kenyan borders are not manned by Kenyan men and women of the Kenya Defence Forces and police officers, but by the locals. Therefore, it is high time that the locals also be armed especially in those areas, so they can be able to protect themselves, instead of telling them that they are having illegal guns and all these things. It is high time these rules be lessened, so they can be able to fight and repel the people who have invaded them. Many lives have been lost in Turkana, Mandera, Wajir and everywhere. People are coming from borderlines with guns, raiding the animals, and therefore, we remain unprotected. I will request that we come up with a policy and a law that will take care of and arm the people of the borderlines, so they protect themselves. We need to establish more border posts. Kenya has so many trained officers. We have the GSU, the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) and the Anti-Stock Theft units, which are well-trained. Unfortunately, most of those officers are now guarding the VIPs. The VIPs have taken half of the police officers in this country, right from the Presidency to the MCAs. There are so many. Half of the Kenyan police are guarding the VIPs. It is high time that we come up with a policy to reduce the number of police officers who are protecting the VIPs. The VIPs can even use Private security guards like KK than having police officers. We have used so much money to train officers yet Kenyans are dying by the day, being killed by criminals. There should be a law that will reduce the number of police officers guarding the VIPs. Our officers are poorly armed. They cannot match those criminals. Those guys have sophisticated guns, ammunition and money. They are selling even drugs to take care of themselves. Our officers are not paid their allowances. They live in bad places, they are not even getting their salary on time, they have no ammunition. They have nothing. It is high time that we must also change our policy so that we will be able to protect ourselves. So, these people should be taken care of, they should be paid their allowances and salaries on time. Our officers are demotivated and they are staying in very harsh areas for a long time. There must be a specific time to keep those officers in those places. Everybody should be able to rotate in time, so at least everybody will be motivated to stay at a certain place, at a certain time and with a certain kind of allowances. Also on infrastructure, the roads are not passable. The roads are in very poor condition. Even if today you sent a vehicle to rescue those guys, they cannot make it to that place. I was seeing the other day when the President was saying that he is building a 720-kilometre road to Mandera, some Kenyans were making jokes as if Wajir and Mandera are not part of Kenya. It is the same thing with Turkana. 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."
}