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{
    "id": 320954,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/320954/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 416,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "must always be in a state of preparedness for any eventuality. The publication of this Bill does not mean that we expect this country to be in a perennial state of post-election violence or that elections should translate to violence. This Bill has been prepared with a firm believe that never again shall this country go into a post-election violence mode. But we have learnt some lessons from the situation of the post-election violence and also from the situation of the Mau Forest evictees, who are Government generated IDPs. It is a shame that the Government, in its final year, cannot settle all the IDPs in this country. In Clause 3, we are looking at an administrative mechanism that will give the legal effect on how to address this and also provide for a rights based response to internal displacements. We hope that the Committee that will be formed, the National Consultative Co-ordination Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, will be the nerve-centre of co-ordinating this effort. In Clause 5, we are giving the Government the mandate and other State actors to ensure that the protection, prevention and displacements of IDPs is taken care of by responsible State agencies. The Bill has also provided not only for the National Government, but the county governments as well as urban and cities to provide more durable solutions to this issue of the IDPs. In Part III under Clause 14, we have established protection and assistance to the IDPs. We have expanded the existing Fund, namely, the Humanitarian Fund for Mitigation of Effects and Settlement of Victims of 2007 Election Violence established by Regulation 3 of the Government Financial Management (Humanitarian Fund for Mitigation of Effects and Settlement, Regulation 2008. In fact, this is limiting and it was not for this purpose. It was for a particular purpose of dealing with post-election violence. This Fund must be expanded to include all the victims of forced displacements. Clause 15 provides for how the Fund will be operated and gives the Committee the overall role in terms of administration of the said Fund. Clause 8, which I just want to emphasize, we are talking about creating education to the nation. We live in a country that has embraced a progressive Constitution that is considered the best by all standards in the world and public participation is important. Public participation cannot be sought if public education is not given by the State agencies. So, we have also provided for that. In terms of the parts of the Bill, we have the last provision which his Part V where we have provided for miscellaneous matters. In particular, Clause 23 provides for offences relating to internal displacements. Having said that and in the interest of time because there are many Private Members’ Bill that we would like to consider, I will be very brief. However, I want to make a few points. First, we want our country back. The Coalition Government was formed on the basis of the blood of 1,300 people who died as a result of the post-election violence. This Coalition Government was formed on the basis of 650,000 people who were displaced. This Government has concentrated on the IDPs in camps while this House has made it extremely clear that there are more categories of IDPs than just the IDPs in the camps. There are integrated IDPs. Ordinary Kenyans took the burden of helping their brothers and sisters, and I want to applaud them for that. If ordinary Kenyans can take the burden, what about the burden of the responsibility placed on the shoulders of a Government that was formed as a result of such a problem? This Government owes it to this nation that they must get it right and deal with the problem. If it was not for this House, this Government would still be asleep. This country is expecting a policy on the IDPs. Ordinarily, the policy should have come even before the"
}