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{
    "id": 184907,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/184907/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 189,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Kamar",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 33,
        "legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
        "slug": "margaret-kamar"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. First, I would like to thank Mr. Wamalwa for bringing forth the Motion. This is something that ought to have been done long ago. Our African system allows for dispute resolution at the village level. The administrative structure we adopted at Independence does not recognise that because we start with the sub- location. At that level, we have a number of villages that come together. The same villages are sometimes in conflict. The role that village elders have played on a voluntary basis in this country is one that has not been handled even by our administrative structure. I would like to support this Motion and say that we need to go back to the structures that resolve disputes and conflicts within our communities. This is one group of Kenyans that has been very patriotic. They have been offering services without being paid any salary. The disputes in our villages are being handled by village elders. They have resolved disputes which chiefs, DOs and DCs have failed to resolve. Why is that the case? It is because they live with the people and they are respected by the people. The village elders can talk the truth to the community frankly and fearlessly. They resolve conflicts. If we had this structure in January and February, I can tell you that we would not have had an escalation of the problem that we had. But because they were not recognised by any structure, they are busy appeasing people without being recognised. It is very important that we recognise this class of Kenyans who have been able to resolve disputes voluntarily. We need to remunerate them. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the surprising bit is that if we allow them to be remunerated, we must also allow the selection or election of those elders by the villagers themselves. This is because there are people who are going to jump for those positions now that we are going to pay for them if this Motion passes. Those kind of people can only take advantage of the payment and not the job that is supposed to be done. Eldership in a village is a gift in the African set up. There are people who are known for dispute resolution. We must, as we support this Motion, come up with a system that will ensure proper selection of elders so that we get the right people. If we pay these people, as I have come across them myself in Eldoret East, they will do their work better. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say that even during the dispute period in my constituency, I used these people a lot and to date, they are the ones who are criss-crossing between the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and the communities keeping the peace that is currently on. 2546 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 8, 2008 So, it is very important that we recognise them. They are doing work that could not be done by the administrative structure that we have. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I want to say that I really support this Motion. I support that we must have these village elders. They are part of our structures. They form one area that we erroneously dismantled when we became independent. We must go back to it. Thank you."
}