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{
    "id": 307178,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/307178/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 221,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mbau",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 182,
        "legal_name": "Elias Peter Mbau",
        "slug": "elias-mbau"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me a chance to make my contribution towards this very critical Bill, which I must say, on the outset, that I support. In underlining the importance of this Bill, while the Constitution places, as we all know, a very high premium on the openness, freedoms and accountability of the people of Kenya, we are being called upon to ensure that we strike a balance between the extent to which the citizens of this Republic can exercise those rights and freedoms and also safeguard the interests of the wider good of the public. Earlier contributors have alluded to the need to look at the extent in which information can be accessed within public offices, and more importantly, information of security nature. We all know that the borders of our country have of late become porous and so exposed because of eternal terrorism threats. Whereas I am aware that an anti-terrorism Bill is waiting to come to this House for discussion, before it comes, I believe the passage of the law that is before us for discussion will take us a little further in ensuring that we keep the interests of our people more safeguarded. I must also note that the current crimes that are being perpetrated on Kenyans are happening because of the level of sophistication of the criminals. We have crimes in cyber cafés, crimes occasioned from outside our borders and global crimes. We have crimes in the way of human and drug trafficking. These kinds of crimes are possible because of technological advancement in the world. I want to recommend that the provision to give our security agencies equipment and capacity to respond to and address these sophisticated crimes be safeguarded and secured in this Bill. I support the view of the Members who have stated that there is need for the members of our security organs to be allowed to carry arms and tools that can safeguard their personal interest because of the nature of the information they hold and the places where they go to gather this information. We need to avoid situations that have been implied by hon. Wetangula; situations that occurred in this country in 2008 and we were asking where our information gatherers were. We were asking why some things happened before we could be told. Even today as we debate this Bill, we still have incidents that keep on happening and we want to begin to blame others. Before we blame others, let us also be willing to ask ourselves whether we have facilitated, armed or ensured that the right mechanisms, legal or otherwise, have been put in place within the necessary arms of the Government."
}