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"speaker_name": "Mr. Wamalwa",
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"legal_name": "Eugene Ludovic Wamalwa",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to support the Motion by my friend. This nation saw a terrible thing happen after the general election held on 27th December, 2007. Up to about 350,000 Kenyans were displaced from their homes and are now IDPs in various parts of this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, where I come from in Trans Nzoia, we had about 40,000 IDPs, 16,000 of whom come from my Saboti Constituency. All these 16,000 were members of two farms called Gituamba and Kalaa who were attacked, butchered and their properties burnt and are now refugees in their own motherland. I have had occasion to visit, not just the IDPs in Kitale, but I have also travelled to many camps, including Kachibora that had over 20,000 IDPs. I have travelled to Western Province in Kakamega and Kisumu in Nyanza Province. I have travelled to Juja Constituency and other parts of this country. I have seen fellow Kenyans in camps living a very degrading life as refugees. Indeed, we have sympathised. However, it is not enough for us to sympathise or to even empathise with these fellow Kenyans who are suffering in these camps. We need to do something about their situation and resettle them back to their homes and help them reconstruct their lives and carry on. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we talk of resettlement, we must also talk of settlement and restitution. These Kenyans should never have suffered the way they did. It was the cardinal duty of this Government to provide security for the lives and property of all Kenyans. It is, therefore, the responsibility of this Government to ensure that these Kenyans are not only resettled, but that there is restitution. They must be put in the same place they were in, if not better, prior to the post- election violence. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in certain parts of this country, each camp has its own peculiar situation. In Trans Nzoia District, many of the displaced are farmers. As we speak today, the planting season is almost coming to an end. The Government had promised that they will help these IDPs access seeds and fertiliser to be able to plant. This was said on 6th March during the State Opening of this Parliament. However, up to now as I speak, many of these IDPs have not been able to access their farms. They have not been able to be resettled and to plant. Indeed, the Government has made efforts to supply some of the IDPs with seeds. Some of the IDPs have received help from the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) to help them plough their lands. However, no fertiliser has been availed and they are unable to plant. With only seed and without fertiliser, it is impossible to plant. We find that many of these IDPs are still waiting and hoping that this nation will remember them and that they will be resettled and farm again. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, apart from these IDPs who actually had farms and homes, there are some who did not own land where they were staying. They were workers for those who owned homes. They were also afflicted equally and displaced along with the families that were hosting them. As we resettle those who owned land, we must, as a matter of urgency, also talk of settlement for those who have nowhere to be resettled. As I speak of settling and resettling the April 23, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 639 IDPs, indeed, the issue of security must be addressed. We must ensure that sufficient security is provided in affected areas and that all Kenyans are safe and that what happened never happens again. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are happy that the Government had a plan to build police stations in affected areas. In Trans Nzoia District, we are yet to have these police stations reconstructed. I am urging that as we talk about the resettlement, that it be beefed up in those areas. Police stations be constructed to ensure that security is there. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we talk about security, we are also worried about the national food security of this nation. If all these farmers are displaced and cannot access their farms to plant, we will have a major food shortage this coming year. Indeed, it is not a situation that is peculiar to Kenya. We are, indeed, seeing a global food crisis. Urgent measures need to be taken, so that this situation is addressed and Kenyans are able to actually farm. We are proposing that though the Minister for Agriculture has indicated that they will be providing top dressing fertiliser called CAN, there are farmers who are still hoping that they will be provided with DAP to be enabled to plant. If we have not planted, we cannot top dress. These are some of the issues that we are urging that as we talk about resettlement, they be addressed urgently. We are proposing that since there is a task force already formed between the Ministry for Lands and the Ministry for Finance, that this task force be broadened to include the Ministry of Agriculture because in certain areas like Trans Nzoia District issues of land must be addressed and the relevant Ministry must be involved. On the issue of security, we require that the Minister of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, the Minister for Special Programmes, the Minister for Agriculture and the Minister for Youth and Sports, be part of that committee. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are also urging that hon. Members from the affected regions be incorporated in that task force so that as leaders of the areas - they say the wearer of the shoe knows best where it pinches - are also involved. They must consult widely to ensure that the right decisions are made. We are also urging that civic leaders in various regions, religious leaders as well as elders be incorporated so that we can have wide consultations to ensure that this problem is addressed. As I finalise, I would like to say that, indeed, as we talk about resettlement, we must address the future of this nation. There will be those responsible to answer questions about how and why this happened. We have committees that will be investigating the root causes. However, as leaders, we must ask ourselves why this had to happen. Indeed, the majority of those involved were the youth. They were the ones who were used to torch, to burn, to barricade roads and many of them are unemployed and idle. We must, as a matter of urgency, address the issues of the youth in this country to ensure that they do not fall prey to warlords and they are not recruited into gangs like Mungiki, SLDF and Chinkororo among others. The Taliban, the Kamjesh of this world are our youth. It is not enough to shoot them or lock them up in prison. We must address the plight of the youth. Give them hope and make them responsible citizens who can contribute to this nation's prosperity. Finally, we must address, as a matter of urgency the question of land. Even as we talk about resettlement, there are issues which are deeper, sensitive and very fundamental to the success of this process to ensure lasting peace and stability. The land question must be addressed. There are historical injustices that occurred, for example, in the Rift Valley that must be addressed. There are also issues of the sanctity of title deeds. There are people who legitimately acquired property and we must ensure that the sanctity of titles is protected. In this regard, as a matter of urgency, we are aware that there is a national land policy that was developed since 2004. We are informed that it is pending Cabinet approval and possible adoption by this Parliament. We pray that this be expedited 640 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 23, 2008 so that we can have a comprehensive land policy that can address land matters in this country and get the constitutional review completed. Thank you."
}