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"speaker_name": "Mr. Mbau",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to be counted for supporting this Motion. I consider this a very important Motion whose time should have been yesterday. The question of giving legal space to the various contentious groups in this country cannot be gainsaid. I know and wish to state that no country in its right senses can ignore the role of this productive, dynamic cohort of its population. Indeed, I want to submit that the destiny of any country squarely lies in its youth. For a long time, Kenya, has kind of, not given the right position or treatment to her youthful population. It is only recently that this country consciously and deliberately came up with a policy and a Ministry to address youth issues. I wish to thank the Government for setting up the Ministry of Youth and Sports, albeit belatedly. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to ask ourselves, who are the members of these so-called unlawful gangs and militia? Who constitute this group? So far, we have been mislead to believe that the so-called legal gangs and groups are for those misguided who have nothing to do. As I stand here, I am conscious of what happened in this country about two months ago. We were taken aback when we woke up and many towns, especially within central Kenya, came to a standstill because we were told that a certain illegal gang in the name of Mungiki had said no activities were going to be undertaken and people were to remain in their homes. Even though these gangs are called illegal, they consist of people who are known to the Government. They are gangs known by the Provincial Administration. They are people who roam our villages and towns and they are known by names. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think time has come - I want to thank the Mover of this Motion - for us to recognise and appreciate that there is not much we can do to these gangs. These people are only trying to find space for themselves because whether you like it or not, they somehow feel disposed by the so-called leaders; ourselves. We keep on telling them that they are the leaders of tomorrow. For them, tomorrow has come but they are not seeing these leadership opportunities or benefits. We should prevent them from feeling that the suffering they are undergoing is at the expense of leaders and the haves, leaving them without. They have reached 18 years, 25 years, 30 years and 40 years. I want to say that those who are 40 years old and below in this country comprise not less than 75 per cent of our population. These are people who have need for clothing, food, shelter and even taking their children to school. However, they do not have gainful deployment or employment. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently we read a report by a United Nations (UN) agency. We now know that the life expectancy in Kenya is about 45 years to 50 years. It is 54 years for men and about 50 years for women. Therefore, we know that at birth, you are expecting to live, on average, about 54 years. These young people who are dotted across the country in the Coast Province, Western Province, Eastern Province, Nairobi Province and Central Province, on attaining an age of knowing what they need to know discover that they have only about 15 years of productive life. They then reach 30 years or 40 years yet they have nothing to do. I want to call on Members to take this Motion very seriously knowing that if we do to address and manage the question of our youth population, they will soon or later sweep us aside. However, we need to ask ourselves what the underlying issues that occasion the proliferation of these groups are. We should also tell ourselves that the palace will never be safe if the cottage is not at ease. We cannot go about purporting to be enjoying or leaving in comfort zones when we know that these groups are there. That is why you find Members of Parliament and other leaders with security and bodyguards. Those who are not employed will look for them. I think we need to consciously give the youth, who comprise the gangs, face, by ensuring that we create July 23, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2025 this select committee and that it moves with speed to create better understanding and establish the impact and possible magnitude of this crisis as well as deliberately undertake to facilitate dialogue with these criminal gangs. The unity of the various groups is what will move this country forward. With those few remarks, I beg to second."
}