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"id": 184965,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Koech",
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"legal_name": "David Kibet Koech",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. From the outset, I wish to sincerely commend my colleagues hon. Mututho and Wamalwa for this wonderful Motion. It is high time, as a country, that we do things in a different way. There are so many things which have been discussed. I wish to recommend here that we, as Parliament, and the leadership of this country, should be able to take such kind of Motion with the seriousness that it deserves. We wish to see action. Having listened to what my colleagues have said about this very important Motion, I wish to say that this is the best way this country should move. I do not wish to repeat what my colleagues have said. But very importantly, I am grateful and I fully support all that they have proposed this morning. This Motion brings us to the point of remembering those who made us what we are today. We are able to talk today in Parliament and we are able to move as a country because of certain people who sacrificed their lives. Some of their relatives, brothers and neighbours lost their lives, but they never gave up. They continued fighting and that is why this country was liberated. It is important that we remember those people and, more importantly, as it has been mentioned, all those who have contributed to the Independence of this country. This is because we could not be here if they did not fight for us. It is important to acknowledge that those people cut across all the tribes in Kenya. We have the Kikuyus, Kambas, Luos and Luhyas. Among the Kalenjins where I come from, we have the late Koitalel Samoei who resisted vehemently the coming in of the white man. To date, the only thing we have been able to do to remember Samoei is to build a secondary school in his honour. We have also proposed a museum which is yet to come up. We know that Koitalel has descendants and most of them come from my constituency. It is a pity that they are living in abject poverty and yet, our hero made sure that we are what we are today. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Motion asks the Government to give them very little compensation. Compensation of 2.5 acres of land. We are aware that after Independence, there are Kenyans who own thousands and thousands of acres of land. So, when you tell them about 2.5 acres, they can even laugh. To them, what is 2.5 acres? It is something very small that no Government should actually even think of opposing. So, we, therefore, recommend that those October 8, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2563 people be given that very important compensation. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, those are our heroes. Most of us go out of this country one time or the other. I have just arrived this morning from Cuba. In Cuba, the Government recognises their heroes. The Che Guevara was not even a Cuban. He was from Argentina. But he participated in the independence of Cuba and all Cubans celebrate him. At every corner of Cuba, you find a monument of Che Guevara. You will also find the monument of Jose Martin. In every corner of that country, you will see monuments of their heroes. Indeed, these heroes make the history of a country. Any Kenyan who goes out of this country comes back carrying artifacts and clothes bearing the names of heroes of the countries they visit. What are we doing as Kenyans? When tourists visit Kenya, what is it that they go back with? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, apart from compensating these people, there is need for us to have artifacts and clothes bearing their names. We need to write books about them. We carried so many books from Cuba. In fact, I carried some books for our library on Che Guevara, Jose Martin and other heroes who supported Cuba. We need to write books about our heroes so that they form part of our history that will never be forgotten. Whatever income that we get from these things, part of it should also go to the descendants, children or relatives of these heroes. It is important that we take cognisance of the fact that a child of a leader, in most instances, is also a leader. It is unfortunate that today we are talking of only one person from the lineage of the heroes in Parliament. It is because after the Mau Mau fighters fought for Independence, our successive governments never recognised them and, therefore, most of their children never went to school. We need, as a country, to recognise the children of these people by setting aside funds so that they can be educated and participate in the leadership of this country. As we speak about the heroes who liberated this country from colonialism, it is also important to remember the many other heroes who have come up after Independence. Athletes have been mentioned. Every other time we talk about them, but thereafter we forget about them. We must have a system in place of recognising all our heroes for our own benefit because they form a very important history of Kenya. This is a country we would want to live to see it even better tomorrow. It is important that we recognise these people who have contributed to this country. It is unfortunate that we have a system of remembering people after they are dead. What is the benefit of hon. Members of this august House coming to my place when I die? Of what benefit is it to me? I want to see them today. I want to see our leaders visiting every corner of this country to provide the leadership and development that we require. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}