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{
"id": 307475,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Transport",
"speaker": {
"id": 174,
"legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
"slug": "amos-kimunya"
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to second the Kenya Defence Forces Bill. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am particularly happy that having sat for a whole day with the team that was discussing this Bill, it gives a very good insight into the operations of our forces and what they can do and cannot do, so that their actions are aligned with the limitations of our new Constitution, especially as it relates to how our forces will behave in the future. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I second this Bill, I want to pay special tribute to the Minister of State for Defence, hon. Haji. This is because I know that we sat with him during Ramadhan and watched him spend the little energy he still had left. He had to keep on going for his prayers and coming back. He was so determined until we went into the night and everything else. Seeing him with his able assistant, Mr. Musila, continuing with this marathon of Bills, it is encouraging. As a House, it is something that we need to record, because he did this under very difficult times. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we do this Bill, we must remember our young men and women in uniform, who have spent their time--- We thought that it was going to be a short stint in Somalia, but they have spent the better part of this year and last year in Somalia, liberating that part of the country. I can tell you from where I sit, as Minister for Transport, that one of the beneficiaries of the intervention in Somalia has been the maritime industry. Before the soldiers moved into Somalia, we had ships being captured by the pirates almost on a weekly basis. Since that time, not only have we reduced the incidences of piracy, but even the ransom money that was being demanded has gone down drastically. Now, we are seeing the ships that had detoured into the Mediterranean and West Coast of Africa, coming back to the East Coast. This is more business for us, in terms of the reduction in the cost of doing business for the region, hence, making it more attractive to do business from this end. So, our thanks are in order from this House, in terms of the efforts that are being put in that area."
}