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"id": 186052,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Wamalwa",
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"legal_name": "Eugene Ludovic Wamalwa",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support the Motion. Indeed, it is a sad day for this nation. It reminds us of previous days in which, as a nation, we have lost many people. The day we had the bomb blast in Nairobi, we lost 200 people! It was a sad day. The day that a Kenya Airways plane went down in Abidjan in 2000, we lost 87 people. It was also a sad day. In 2007, there was another loss when a Kenya Airways plane went down in Douala and we lost about 100 people. We declared a national day of mourning. As we speak, the death toll in Turkana is going up. We were told that only 44 people died. But, as of this morning, we heard that there were 50 casualities. The reports we are getting now is that there are about 70 or 74 Kenyans who have died as a result of that raid. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is a very sad day. It is a day that we should have declared a national day of mourning. Losing members of our nation to the extent that we have, raises questions as to the role of the Government. It is the cardinal duty of any Government worth its salt, constitutionally, to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. For our brothers and sisters who have died in Turkana, it was and remains the cardinal duty of this Government to protect the lives of the people of Turkana and their property, whether it is their cattle or houses. It is the cardinal duty of the Government to protect our people of Turkana! Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that problem is not happening for the first time! It is a perrenial problem! The problem of cattle rustling has been there since Independence. It is also as old as the problem of flooding in Budalangi, which has been there year in, year out! The question is: What is the Government doing to ensure that, that does not keep on recurring? What policy has been put in place to ensure that, that perrenial problem has been addressed and that remedial measures are put in place? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would agree with the honourable Mover that what we have in place are knee-jerk reactions! Every time there is a raid, we are told that the elders will meet and the issues will be sorted out. But we need action to be taken and remedial measures to be put in place now and in future, to address that perrenial problem. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have been told that over 1,000 heads of cattle were taken. We have been told that over 70 people are dead. Whether we like it or not, it is not just a habit. It is an 2374 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE August 6, 2008 issue of food shortage that has resulted in neighbours raiding other neighbours to look for food. It is a matter that we must address because, without sufficient food and proper policies being put in place to ensure national food security, we cannot be a stable nation! Our security is not guaranteed as long as our national food security situation is not guaranteed. This is the year that we must address those issues, because we are likely to see much more happening. When hunger strikes in Baringo, neighbours will shift to other districts to find greener pastures and we are likely to see more deaths. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is an old saying that goes: \"When your neighbour is hungry, your chicken are not safe!\" The situation in the North Rift, particularly in Trans Nzoia--- We are having similar problems. We have been having raids, particularly from our neighbours on the East. In Cherangany and Kwanza, cattle rustling has been there. In the West, we have also been having problems from our neighbours in Mt. Elgon. We are asking the Government to boost security in the North Rift area. As we are talking, we have heard of the intention of the Government to withdraw the military from that area. We had an operation in Mt. Elgon which has acted as a deterrent measure against the Sabaot Land Defence Force. We have had our neighbours from West Pokot raiding, stealing cattle and killing people. We urge that action be taken. As long as there is no sufficient security in the area, we expect that we will suffer similar incidents in this region. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}