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{
    "id": 331244,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/331244/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 314,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "unfortunately we condemn in the strongest terms possible that three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers were shot dead by unknown gunmen at the outskirts of Garissa Town as they were changing their tyres. One hour later, the KDF, in their thousands, left the military camp without due diligence as the law provides. They never consulted the Provincial Security Committee as the law provides. They never consulted the District Security Committee. They came to the streets. They were burning, looting, raping; above all, as I drove from my constituency, 15 people were injured. They are in hospital and some are in theatre. Forty five of them are a testimony to what happened during the dark days when Rev. Njoya and others were beaten. This was done to the women, children and elders of that town. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I went there and the Officer Commanding the force, Capt. Mureithi said: “We did this in Kismayu. We are going to do this in Garissa.” That is what he told a Member of Parliament. I want the Minister for Defence to come out very clearly. I want to thank him since he came to Garissa yesterday and he could not believe what he saw. He counted the dead, injured and the property looted. Shopping malls were put on fire. A whole market with over 30,000 poor women, the biggest market, was razed down by the KDF contrary to Article 241 that spells out their mandate; this Parliament has not sanctioned that operation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kenya, hon. Mwai Kibaki, cannot keep quiet. He cannot keep quiet. If he kept quiet when people died in Tana River and when 45 of his forces were killed in Baragoi--- The Head of State cannot keep quiet on what is happening in Garissa. The Minister for Defence assured us yesterday that he would fly to Nairobi and have a session with His Excellency the President to come out and tell the nation what has happened. This is the first day when the cameras and videos of the media crew in this country were confiscated by the military. They were beaten and they were part of the injured. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, a prominent businessman based in Nairobi, an old man known as M.K. Roble, whose shopping mall was put on fire--- He went to his site, he is in hospital now. His mall, which is one of the biggest building in Garissa Town was put on fire by the military. This House has come of age. This House has a mandatory oversight role and there is a committee called the “Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations”. I want you to order that team to go to Garissa today. Today, Parliament should fly to Garissa. Today, Parliament should censure the Government. Today, this Parliament should not transact any business. If Members of Parliament today go to Garissa, they will find that there is no difference between Garissa and what is happening in Gaza Strip. In fact, the people in Gaza Strip are better off because they at least can throw a few shells at their enemies. Today, State terror has been directed at innocent people. Is this the legacy that the President wants to leave? He has four months to go. The choice is his. We are telling President Kibaki that the choice is his; whether he wants to leave a good legacy or whether he wants to leave the type of legacy his defence forces have created. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is the same Government that arrested our colleagues, just because they spoke for our people. We are ready to die. Some of us are ready to die for protecting the Constitution that we stand for. Some of us are ready to die for our communities. Our communities can be denied infrastructure, healthcare and"
}