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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for that guidance. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of the mandates and functions of Parliament is to hold regular discussions or to have audience with the nation on the various issues that involve and touch on the population; namely, issues that pose problems are contentious in nature. It is important that we, as parliamentarians, continue nurturing the spirit of listening to what our people, who we represent in this House, are saying outside there. The issue of unlawful groupings among our young population is a phenomenon that has been with us for quite some time. It has been with us for over 20 years now. It is important that we understand that it is actually a very complex phenomenon, but one that requires the attention of this House without any divided position. It is important for us to know that Parliament is the only institution that can arbitrate and provide guidance to the Government on issues that are of socio- economic and political nature. We are the only persons who can understand some of the issues that are affecting our people on the ground because we are more often in touch with them. They gave us that mandate when they voted us to this Parliament. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, since the early 1990s, many police squads have been formed to try and deal with these unlawful groupings of our young population. When we talk about the unlawful youth groups, now we have figures that confirm to us that we are dealing with a section of the population that could be up to 70 per cent. We know very well that the Police Force has, on many occasions, tried to stem these unlawful groupings without any successful gains. It is then within the mandate of this Tenth Parliament to think of how we can get to understand the causes of 2022 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 23, 2008 these groupings. We need to get involved, so that we can inform the Government to ensure that it formulates policies from an informed position. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when young people come together, agree in one way or another and in one night they engage in massive operations that disrupt the lives of Kenyans and scatter Kenyans in different directions, it is only fair and reasonable for this Parliament to rise to the occasion and get to understand what is ailing our society. It is important for the House to note that when we are dealing with these groups, we need to know their nature, classification and what motivates them. We have many groups under different names. We have youth groups that have drifted into gangs, which are operating under the various names. For example, we have the Taliban, Mungiki,Chinkororo, Sabaoti Land Defence Force (SLDF), Mulungunipa, Baghdad Boys, Kosovo, Jeshi laWazee, Kamjeshi, Jeshi la Embakasi, Kaa Chonjo, Bangladesh, Kalahari, Fuata Nyayo,Mutaratara, Majengo ya Saba, Michomoroni, Masumbura, Kamiti/Kikuyu Gang, MbokolaWarriors and the Forty Thieves, among many others. It is very important to understand all these groups. There are many groups and I cannot exhaust them. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why we need to have a team of Parliamentarians to go out there, and get to the bottom of this issue. The team should try to understand why we are having rampant growth of these groups. What is the silent message that they are passing to us? Are they saying that we have lost touch with them? Is it that, perhaps, the leadership of this country is giving lip service? What are the real reasons why they come together quickly, fuse and understand themselves much more quickly than we do? What are the root causes? We need to go out there, and gather the very hard facts that will be there. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the singular use of bullets by the police will not work. It has not worked in the past. We are not saying anything different, but we are saying that it is important for Parliament to play its role in engaging the population and getting to understand the deeper concerns that are there. It is important for us to realise that Kenyans are really looking upon us. It is upon us to give some hope. The Kenyans' hope is in our keeping. The fears of these youths are also our concern. If we do not do anything, we will have failed in our cardinal duty. It is important that we get to dialogue with ourselves. When the Prime Minister indicated that he may engage one of these groups in some discussion - and I must say that this Motion came up way before that invitation by the Prime Minister - there was some sigh of relief in this country. Kenyans felt that, perhaps, there was hope, and that something would come out of that discussion. This means that this is something that Parliament should support, so that we can see whether the policies that we are putting in place are really addressing the needs of these people. Are they issues that are drawing from what is happening on the ground, or are they a bit abstract in their nature? We need to touch base with these young people. There are many issues that have been mentioned in the past. People have talked about drugs, discipline and many other things. For two decades Parliament has not played its role, which is bipartisan in nature. It has not given this issue the thought that every other person thinks we should give it. This is something that is affecting each and every member of this society in one way or another, and it is upon us to address it as a nation, quickly. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the big question that will face us in the near future will be: What have the leaders in this 10th Parliament done as opposed to what the police did? How much brutality was meted out by the police to our young people? The bigger question will be: What role did the leaders in this country play? I dare say that, as we continue discussing this issue and engaging one another on the same issue, we will be best guided by the aspect of having love for one another. Practising love is much better than allowing ourselves to be driven by any amount of hatred, prejudice and ill motive. We must go out there guided by being mindful of other people, the youth and showing a lot of love towards them. July 23, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2023 I have mentioned, and I want to repeat it, that Kenyans are looking upon us because the hopes and fears of these youthful people are in our hands, and we must rise to the occasion if we are to be counted as people who contributed positively to the wellbeing of this nation. This is a huge and complex issue, and it calls for a unified approach. We need to soldier on with this issue. In the recent past, just after the general election of last year, the courage Kenyans demonstrated and the ability to soldier on, even when faced with tough situations, constitute the experience that we must treasure. I am sure that Kenyans would also want to soldier on with this issue. The only way to soldier on is by talking to one another. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when this peace accord was signed on 28th February this year, one of the messages that was being sent across the country is that Kenyans were tired. They did not want to be engaged in senseless wars. They did not want to be engaged in senseless destruction of property and killings. They wanted to live in harmony. Kenyans want to talk with one another. They believe that if we cannot sit at a table with one another, we can talk and agree on areas that otherwise look very difficult. We can sort out the differences between ourselves. It is important to mention here, without raising an alarm, that we really do not have a lot of time; we cannot afford the luxury of saying that we want to cool off, because we feel we went through some difficult time. We do not have time to take a \"tranquillizing drug\" in the form of procrastination. We have to move and act now. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we were doing our campaigns, we made promises. I am sure that quite a number of promises were made to the youthful population of this country. This is one of the opportunities that we should use to fulfil these promises by engaging the youth. It will be tragic if this Parliament overlooks the urgency of this moment. It is important that we remain in tandem with the youth. We cannot, at any time, think that we can work alone. We must consult the youth. They must feel that they are engaged and listened to. Despite their overwhelming presence, in terms of numbers, of the youthful portion of the population of this country, this Motion does not in any way intend to encourage any person to do any wrongful deeds. If they were to do so, their otherwise genuine cause would certainly be lost. The destiny of this youthful population is squarely tied to our destiny, and we cannot afford to lose this opportunity. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, one thing that happens to us on many occasions is the aspect of being indifferent. It is very easy to look the other way and pretend that nothing is happening. That aspect of being indifferent is something that we must make sure that it does not continue in this 10th Parliament. Being indifferent is worse than giving punishment. When you are indifferent you are not being creative. You are allowing a problem to become an end by itself, while it is actually the beginning of difficult times. It is important that we do not pretend that there is no difference between light and darkness. We should not pretend that we cannot see any difference between crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion. It is important for us to rise up to the occasion, seize the opportunity and the moment and act. We must be able to recognise what has happened in the recent past. A in a couple of years that we have now gone through, some amount of economic security has been witnessed in this country, in the sense that the amount of borrowing from outside has been reduced drastically. It is sad to note that, perhaps, this has not gone hand in hand with social security. If we do not address this phenomenon that is now with us, and will remain with us until we boldly face it, then I can say here that the years to come will not be that rosy. We should ensure that we have social security, so that the economic security and gains that we have made in this country can be of use to us. In conclusion, by supporting this Motion, we will be confirming that we are not unworthy of the leaders who have gone before us. Many leaders have been there in the past. They have contributed with the sole objective of making this nation a better one. This moment is presenting 2024 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 23, 2008 itself to us, so that we can also make our contribution and be counted among those others, who have thought of this country and risen to the occasion when time called for their action. With those remarks, I beg to move and ask Mr. Mbau to second the Motion."
}