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{
    "id": 193567,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/193567/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 29,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Kosgei",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13,
        "legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
        "slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I stand to support the Motion. Both Ms. Laboso and Mr. Kones were my personal friends. It is very difficult to talk about them now as departed people; people who were very vibrant. Mr. Kones was a Minister in a Government that I served and he was the protector of public servants. We knew, as civil servants that if we had a problem and could not communicate well or someone was, indeed, in trouble and we thought that person could not defend himself, then we approached Mr. Kones to communicate with the former boss to assist us. I remember Amb. Franklin Bett and I going to him many times to protect a certain Head of Public Service whom we thought was being mistreated sometime back. Mr. Kones was of course, a brilliant communicator and a very nice person. He laughed all the time with an infectious laugh. You would go to him because you thought the world was coming down but his first response would be to laugh and you would then realise that all was not lost. He would go out of his way to educate, help and assist at all times. I shall miss Mr. Kones dearly. Ms. Laboso did not meet with me in this House. We met in the flower industry; she as a seller and I as a grower. We developed a relationship. I can say this about Ms. Laboso without any fear of contradiction: She was brilliant, exuberant, full of big ideas, brave but also extremely kind. She also shared information freely. I know that the women who were elected to this House have learnt from Ms. Laboso where to go to assist other women who have not yet come to the House but hope to come to this House. I can truly say that the women in this House will truly miss Ms. Laboso. She was useful, busy at KEWOPA and all other organisations. Indeed, I as a person who did not go out of my way wondering where support for women would come from; I always waited for Ms. Laboso to drop in for a cup of tea and tell me what is happening. She shared her information freely and tried to assist others to know what they needed to know to move forward. Ms. Laboso and Mr. Kones were the lives of the party. As a rule, I do not leave my house June 11, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1125 late. On 23rd May, on the eve of Mr. Kones's departure to Tokyo, they called me and asked me to join them for dinner. I left my house to go to see them because I knew I would learn something and also it would be a good time for all. We discussed a lot of things; many of them to do with where we were going as a country. Mr. Kones wanted me to understand that sometimes, you have to come down to a certain level to communicate with some people. There were issues that we needed to sort out. Before we parted, he said that he was going to Japan come back and then go to South Africa. On his return, we were to go to Aldai. This we were to do this week. He had many relatives in Aldai who used to call him all the time. He then said to me: \"Look after Lorna as always when I am away.\" I then told him; \"I always look after Lorna even when you are here.\" It is very difficult for a person to understand that such two good people can depart at the same time. Let me join the others in sending my condolences to their families and to assure them that we, the friends of Lorna and Kones will always keep them in our minds and sight and will never leave them alone. May God rest their souls in eternal peace."
}