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"id": 193559,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/193559/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Raila",
"speaker_title": "The Prime Minister",
"speaker": {
"id": 195,
"legal_name": "Raila Amolo Odinga",
"slug": "raila-odinga"
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"content": " Mr. Speaker, Sir, at times like these, there is need for a nation to stand together. Once again, in a matter of days, disaster has hit this country so hard. At first, when I was informed of what had happened, I thought I was dreaming! It took some time for reality to dawn that the unexpected had happened. So, at a time like this, tempers would always fly high and people would quickly run to conclusions. Suggestions would be made as to the cause of the accident. But there is no doubt that this is one of the most devastating events that has taken place in our country after the post-election crisis. We have lost two of our closest friends. It is only last Saturday that we attended Ms. Laboso's homecoming ceremony. We had flown from South Africa together with Mr. Kones. We flew into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and he went by road. I went home to change and went to attend a funeral in Muhoroni. From Muhoroni, I went to Sotik to attend that ceremony 1120 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 11, 2008 before I came to Nairobi. I had pleaded with Ms. Laboso that I needed to be in Nairobi because there was a football match being played between Kenya and Guinea on that day. She agreed quickly and informed her guests that I had a very pressing matter and I needed to be excused. That was supposed to be a homecoming ceremony for Ms. Laboso to thank the people of Sotik for electing her as Member of Parliament. It also turned out to be a farewell to the people of Sotik. Ms. Laboso was a lady of exceptional courage. She was respected as the lioness of Kipsigis women, having been the first lady to be elected a Member of Parliament from that community. She had great ambitions! Sometime before last year, she had told me that she had gone back to the university to study and get a degree because she did not want to come to Parliament and be insulted by other hon. Members that she was not properly qualified. She knew what was possible and what was not. She knew her limits and that is why it is very painful that, after so much struggle, she had to die that young. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Mr. Kones was the first adversary-turned-friend. As the Leader of Government Business has said, Mr. Kones was a man of exceptional courage; a man who spoke his mind when it mattered. There were times when he was referred to as a \"Kalenjin warrior\" and he did not mind. He said: \"If it is for the sake of my people that I am being referred to as a warrior, then, yes, I am prepared to carry on with the war on behalf of my people.\" We had an opportunity to work with Mr. Kones very closely. In recent times, before the dissolution of the Eighth Parliament, he had served briefly as my Assistant Minister in the then Ministry of Roads, Public Works and Housing. We worked very closely because he had been a Minister before in that Ministry and he knew a lot of things. Together, we were able to carry out several reforms in the Ministry. I always referred to him as lemenyi, meaning that he was my brother-in-law. That is because my sister-in-law is married in his family. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we had discussed so many issues with Mr. Kones. After he was appointed Minister for Roads, he came to my office and with his staff, explained the plans and his vision for the Ministry. He explained what he intended to do for this country. So, the Printed Estimates which have just been laid on the Table of the House include those for the Ministry of Roads. The estimates of the Ministry of Roads basically bear the thumbprint of Mr. Kones. Mr. Speaker, Sir, he had accompanied the President on a tour to Japan recently; the TIKAD Meeting. As he was going, I told him that I wanted him as soon as he arrived here to join me on a mission to South Africa, to attend the World Economic Forum. Some who had gone to Japan with him were so tired to make it to South Africa. But he arrived and the following day, he was on a plane down to Cape Town. In the Forum, he made a very positive contribution. The Kenyan delegation was hailed as the most organised and prepared delegation at that conference. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I remember one of the last things I did with him was when I was invited to go and meet with South African President, Mr. Thabo Mbeki. He was the Minister I chose to accompany me to that meeting. When I hosted the dinner for the delegates at the conference and I invited Kenyan Ministers to speak about their dockets, I had talked about the talents of Kenyan athletes. When he stood up there he said: \"Those great runners come from my community.\" He amused the delegates by saying that he, himself, was also, once upon a time, a runner. So, I am saying that we have lost great friends; people who had great potential for this country and, therefore, our nation is moaning. We could not pay a better tribute than adjourning the affairs of this House today in honour of our two departed colleagues. Tragedy strikes without notice and misfortunes come in chains, as they say. As we were preparing for by-elections to fill the vacancies left by the deaths of two other hon. Members, on the eve of it, we are struck again by deaths of other two hon. Members. It could not be more painful. It is so painful and I want to thank all hon. Members who got the message yesterday and quickly came together. I want to announce here that, as we are sitting here, a team of some hon. Members June 11, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1121 have already gone down to the ground where the accident took place. Hon. Members may wonder why the bodies were not brought to Nairobi yesterday. I wish to say that by the time all the information came, it was getting late and it was also said that there was need to carry out proper investigations when the bodies were still on site. That is why it was agreed that the bodies will be guarded overnight. This morning, the team will go together with cameramen to remove the bodies and bring them. Mr. Speaker, Sir, so, a team of hon. Members led by Mr. Samoei has already gone to the site to bring the bodies. Investigations are also on hand. We set up a committee yesterday and we agreed that the committee organising the funeral of our two colleagues should be bipartisan. In other words, we should have hon. Members from ODM and PNU in that committee. We are going to carry out consultations to fully constitute the committee which will be announced in due course. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to conclude by saying that the only fitting tribute that we can give to our departed colleagues, as a House, is to ensure that they get a decent and peaceful send-off. With those many remarks, I beg to second."
}