Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 282413,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/282413/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 318,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Keynan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 41,
        "legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
        "slug": "adan-keynan"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute on the Presidential Speech. I would like to join my colleagues who have raised a number of issues on this particular Speech. For a country to prosper, the issue of security, the issue of psychological security, the issue of comfort and the issue of citizenry rights must be given prominence. In this country, we have continuously lamented on the issue of pathetic insecurity in different parts of this country but there is one issue that we have failed to address as a country. I am glad that some of the leadership of this House has commented on the pathetic state of insecurity in this country but one issue that we have failed to appreciate is how we facilitate our law enforcement officers. Traditionally, over the year, we have attempted to give a big portion of our Budget to traditional security sectors and completely neglected the key role the police play. Our police officers have done a commendable job under very difficult circumstances and this is one thing that the leadership of this country must appreciate. Just like Mr. Wetangula has said, they are not facilitated and if they are facilitated they are facilitated very poorly. They are not motivated! If you look at the Budget, for over the 50,000 police officers as compared to one of the small departments in some of the other key sectors, you will realize that our police officers are some of the most poorly paid in developed countries and yet we expect them to perform miraculously. This issue of insecurity is one of the issues that have affected negatively our tourism sector. How do you visit a country where you expect carjacking, where you expect to be mugged in the streets, where you will not have the freedom to visit different social sites? Until and unless we address the issue of insecurity in Kenya, then the issue of tourism, unemployment rate, underemployment and drunkenness, militarism, illegal youth gangs coming up in different parts of this country will always be a feature. I want to urge the Government to seriously consider the issue of the plight of our police officers. For a country to enjoy peace, the issue of internal security, homeland security, must be given critical prominence. I see this lacking completely in the context of the Government implementation of some of these key security sector reforms."
}