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{
"id": 307392,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/307392/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "73 Wednesday, 22nd August, 2012(P) Mr. Konchella",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to say on the outset that I support this Bill for a very special reason. A nation without a proper intelligence network is likely to be in trouble. That is why we were in trouble during previous general elections. Even the terrorist acts that have been happening in our country in the past few weeks were as a result of lack of adequate intelligence. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there has been a rise in terms of crime globally, and particularly in our nation. We have a problem of drug trafficking, terrorism and, as we all know, human trafficking. Kenya is a country where most of the human beings who are trafficked from within our region, pass through to other countries in the world. We have a lot of people who have run away from their countries and they have come to hide in our country. Those people are criminals. We should, therefore, allow our intelligence Service to have the ability to monitor the movement of such people and arrest them. They also know our limitations in terms of corruption. Once somebody knows that he is being followed, he is likely to bribe his way out of the country. With an intelligence Service that is committed to duty, in respect of which nobody knows what they are doing or when they are likely to pounce, we are likely to combat crime in this country. I do not know why hon. Members are concerned about the issue of power to that organization. Yes, we need to wash, clean it up and reduce it but we have oversight institutions which are going to undertake that. We have, for example, the Parliamentary Joint Committee which is going to address some of the issues. So, this House will have a role in ensuring that they work according to the law. We also have a national council on intelligence which actually monitors and ensures that NIS is able to work the way it is supposed to do. Of course, there is the Complaints Board where any citizen can forward his or her complaint. If there is even one complaint against the Director-General (DG), he or she can be removed. So, we need to protect our officers to do the job that is required. That is because if we allow them to be harassed instead of doing their job and close all the channels which allow them to work, they will not be able to function. That is because they will fear. So, one of the things that we must do, as a House, is to create a tenure of office for the DG. We have done that with all the Government agencies and departments. Why can we not do so for the DG? Surely, he should not work at the whims of the President. That is because the President will come and go. He is not there to work for the President only. He is there to work for the nation of Kenya. So, when there is a new President, surely, he needs historical background on what is going on in terms of intelligence gathering and the problems so that he can be able to manage them. So, I do not think anybody would just want to come and get a new person who has no idea, and you are the Head of State. You are going to rely on the person with experience and somebody who knows the job. So, let us ensure that we have those officers protected in law. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the security of Kenya is very crucial. On the issue of being issued with guns, if an officer gets to a scene where a crime is being committed or is about to be committed, what does he or she do? He or she should do something. We should all be policemen, including all the citizens of Kenya. Even myself, if I meet a crime being committed. I should not just watch. I will have to do something about it. That is because we want security for this nation. So, let us be our own policemen. Let us allow the policemen to do their job without any problems."
}