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"id": 206793,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/206793/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ms. Abdalla",
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"speaker": {
"id": 245,
"legal_name": "Abdallah Jumaa Ngozi",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is indeed the first time that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is giving its estimates. Due to that, there was a little hiccup when we were looking for the details of what the Minister was presenting. In the past when the Ministry's budget was being guillotined, there were many things that we wanted to question but we did not get the opportunity to. I hope that this would be the beginning of this Ministry being substantively analyzed and reviewed in future. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when the Minister was moving his Vote, one of the clear things that he repeated many times, was that Kenyan foreign policy has moved to economic diplomacy. The question, we in the Opposition ask is, where is this policy? When was it ever passed and where is it written? Or is it like the British Constitution that is not written? Without a written foreign policy, we are not able to measure whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is performing as to the objectives of the Ministry or whether they are under-performing. We cannot work on an imaginary foreign policy that we keep mentioning in speeches and yet we do not have it in written form. So, the Opposition would like to emphasize that the Minister should tell us that the current mood of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this particular foreign agenda, is x,y and z. But to use the word \"policy\" is misleading the country. So, the Opposition would like the Ministry to first bring its foreign policy before mentioning about policy when it does not exist. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in seconding the Minister, Mr. Munya said that Kenya's foreign policy is to push Kenya's agenda either in economic or diplomatic terms and those of our friends. I would like to dwell on the issue of pushing the agenda of our friends because this Ministry seems to think that the agenda of our friends should supersede the agenda of our country. I say so because the Minister mentioned the threat of terrorism as being one of the factors influencing our foreign policy. I have said this before and I am saying it now. Kenya is not a target of terrorism but a mere collateral damage. We only get attacked because we make the agenda of our friends to supersede our own agenda. August 28, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3485 So, we are attacked because we over-support foreign masters. We are not the target of terrorism, we are merely collateral damage. We tone down on issues that make terrorists want to attack us. We have no interest fighting terrorists who are not affecting our economy and are not targeting us. Let us have an agenda that supports our national interests rather than those of our foreign masters, friends or whatever you want to call them. Mr. Munya used the word \"friend\" very lightly. I would not want to call them friends. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I mention the issue of terrorism because as Kenyans, our first responsibility is to protect our nationals. When the war between Ethiopia and Islamic Courts was going on, Kenyans were arrested and taken to Ethiopia without due process of law. We allowed foreigners to deport Kenyans to Ethiopia. Currently, there are over 40 Kenyans languishing in Ethiopian courts and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is doing nothing because they do not want their friends to be seen to have helped in deporting Kenyans who should not have been deported. I would like the Minister, when responding, to tell us who is supposed to be protected first; Kenyans who have identity cards, passports and have relatives here or foreign interests who claim that there is Al Qaeda in Somalia and that the Islamic Courts are supporting terrorists. I would like the Minister to give us their rank of priorities. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like the Minister, when responding, to give us their rank of priority. When we were getting Independence we were told that Mwafrika was number four. So, maybe this Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still thinking that \"number four\" has been taken over by Kenyans of Somali origin or Muslims. So, I want him to clarify that. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of peace, it is true that Kenya has done a commendable job in bringing peace to the region. However, we need to also appreciate that when foreigners or our neighbours have their forces coming into our areas, Kenya should be in the forefront to, first, protect her citizenry, without questioning why those foreigners have come in. Those of us from upper Eastern Province know that Ethiopian forces get into our territory, at will. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, in fact, the entire Front Bench, never appreciates the fact that Kenyans in upper Eastern Province are Kenyans. It is the responsibility of the Government to protect Kenyan nationals and not interfere with those nationals who have come in to the country. It is not the business of Ethiopian Government to interfere too. It is the business of Kenya to arrest those guerillas and not for Ethiopia to come in and arrest our people. It is the same situation in West Pokot. We should not allow the Uganda Defence Force to get into our territory, without our permission and if we do not protect our citizenry, this situation will only escalate further. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to also commend the Government's effort in creating better relationships with the East. It is good for our economy and for us to have more economic partners as opposed to what happened during the Cold War period when we were confined to who we should deal with. However, I wish to note that a lot of justification for us creating better relationship with the East is because of the purported scrutiny or bad business relationship with the West. We should not be substituting relationships. We should be increasing our relationships, so that we are able to have more business partners rather than substituting one with the other. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when I was working in the international arena and one of the Ministries in this country that I was very proud of was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was very efficient in dealing with issues affecting international staff or Kenyan staff working for multilateral agencies. I am glad that questions that have been brought to this House about non-Kenyans masquerading as Kenyans in order to get jobs in the United Nations (UN) and other international bodies is being dealt with. However, one area that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be very careful about, so that we are able to benefit maximumly in the area of international recruitment, is for them to employ internationally acceptable strategies of ensuring that the Kenyan whose name we present, meets those criteria that people are fighting for. I do not need to elaborate the point any 3486 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 28, 2007 further. Just look at the senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials lined out there, there is no single woman seated there because this Ministry does not appreciate the need for gender balance in their recruitment process."
}