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{
    "id": 322629,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/322629/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 384,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "7. The plan the Government has taken to replace the houses and compensate the locals. Finally, he sought confirmation that the General Service Unit (GSU) officers hailing from Cushitic Communities and coastal region will be removed from the operations. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to state as follows. On Monday, 17th September, 2012, a security operation team comprising of officers drawn from the Kenya Police, General Service Unit (GSU) and the Administration Police (AP) conducted an operation in Ozi Village aimed at recovering assorted arms suspected to be held illegally by the locals. As the security team was approaching the village, two local community members who were strategically keeping watch on the village set fire on two makuti houses and started fleeing from the scene. Police officers gave chase and managed to arrest one of the suspects namely Said Ngoka while his accomplice managed to escape. The fire spread quickly to other adjacent houses due to strong winds prevailing at the time. The officers cordoned the area, searched all the houses and managed to recover assorted crude weapons and military equipment before arresting 19 suspects. The security personnel did not attack the villagers and their conduct was very professional throughout the operation. It appears, from the onset, that there are concerted efforts by some criminal elements within the locals to discredit the effort by the police to bring peace and security in the area and to conceal evidence for weapons being sought. Under the circumstances, no action will be taken against any of the operation commanders as none of them gave an order to set the houses on fire and no police officer was involved. A judicial commission has been appointed and is expected that among other issues, it will inquire into what happened during the incident. Further, I wish to confirm that all teams undertaking humanitarian work in the villages targeted by the operation have been screened and their identities authenticated including the Red Cross team. Therefore, the question of infiltration by criminal elements should not arise. On the issue of compensation, the Ministry is not in a position to compensate or reconstruct the houses so far burnt in the Tana Delta Region as there is no budgetary allocation for the same. However, we are appealing to other Government Ministries and agencies including the Ministry of State for Special Programmes and, indeed, other humanitarian agencies to move in and help the communities who are in dire need of basic food and non-food items including re-settlement. Finally, the Government does not intend to remove any of the officers serving in the operation as they are by law required to serve anywhere in the country without fear or favour as they operate beyond their ethnic inclination."
}