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{
    "id": 184961,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/184961/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 243,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Maj-Gen. Nkaisserry",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Defence",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 192,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Kasaine Ole Nkaissery",
        "slug": "joseph-nkaissery"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. I would like to commend my friend, Mr. Mututho, for bringing this important Motion in the august House for us to discuss. It is very important that, as a nation, we recognise and honour our heroes. There are several fundamental questions which we must address. The first one is the profiling of the war veterans. We need to profile the war veterans: Where are they? How many are they? How are they living now? How many are alive? Which war did they fight? Do we pay compensation posthumously? The second question is about the freedom fighters, especially those who fought for our Independence. They fought so that we could be free, and we are indeed free. They did not fight to get compensated. The compensation they got was our freedom. I am so glad that a product of one of the war fighters is a Member of Parliament sitting here today. That is a price you paid for us to be free. The next thing that I want to point out is why we should lament, 45 years after Independence, that our people are living in squalor conditions, when the African themselves have been the leaders and commanders for the last 45 years. So, we cannot blame the British who left 45 years ago. That brings out a very fundamental question: How do we help the heroes? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have been talking about the issue of land, and we need to address the issues of land, historical injustices and so on when we bring the Bill on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation. That is the only time we can address that issue. For example, where does the Republic of Kenya get 2.5 acres of land to give to each freedom fighter once we know them? We should be able to say that we will get land from land grabbers. There are people who grabbed land after the heroes fought for it. Freedom fighters fought for land for all of us, but very few grabbers took that land for themselves. Those are fundamental questions, into which the Mover of this Motion need to do a thorough research and address, so that the Government can critically look into it. If there is no land to give to these heroes, I would suggest that a Motion be brought to this House to create a special fund for the heroes. This fund will be like the Youth Enterprise Fund or October 8, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2561 the Women Enterprise Development Fund. We could put that fund under the Ministry of State for Special Programmes, but we can only do that effectively if the questions which I raised are fully addressed. There is the question of numbers. We do not want crooks to come and say that they are freedom fighters. How many freedom fighters are we going to compensate? There are freedom fighters who fought the Shifta War. Do we extend this to the people who served in the military? We need to do a serious profiling. How many wars do you want to take into consideration. The Maasais fought the British; so, do you compensate their offsprings? Do you compensate somebody because he fought for Kenya? Is it not a calling or a vocation? Must we do things for this country for us to get compensated? These are fundamental questions. These are some of the issues that are supposed to be addressed by the Mover; he should clarify them, so that the Government can address them in a clearer way. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the issue of heroes is very important. It is only this country which recognises crooks on national days and forgets the real freedom fighters. We should be singing praises to the late Kimathi, Lenana, Samoei and so on, instead of praising crooks. When we bring here the Bill on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation we should strip all those crooks of their titles. This is a very important Motion which needs the support of the Government and hon. Members. We really need to consider two issues: special fund and repossessing land taken by the grabbers so that we can give it to our heroes. With those few remarks, I support."
}