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"id": 382188,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Njoroge",
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"legal_name": "Ben Njoroge",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for the opportunity to contribute to this very useful and important Motion moved by Sen. Obure. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of my colleagues in the Senate have contributed to this Motion. They have said most of the things that might need to be said, but because this is a very important Motion, there have to be issues that will always be brought out to ensure that what rightfully belongs to the people of Kenya, they get it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, compensation is a very dear issue to most of the people who are claimants as at now and before. One of the most important distinctions to make is to identify, indeed, who are the claimants. Most of the claimants, for example, retirees, become claimants only after they have rendered services. For example, somebody has worked for the Government until they attain the retirement age of 60 years. After serving and giving their best during their youthful years, when it comes to the time they need to be rewarded for what they have done and services they have rendered, they are reduced to beggars. If it is other forms of claims, for example, insurance claims, you will find that a healthy and useful Kenyan who contributes to the economy of this country gets involved in an accident and loses a limb. When they can no longer render the service that they have been rendering, again, they are turned into beggars. I speak about this from a personal perspective because I have been a victim. When I was a young man, I got involved in an accident, in which I almost lost my right hand. By then, I was about 17 years old. Since I did not come from a very well-connected family, my own mother struggled for more than ten years. Even until when she passed away, I never got compensation, after spending more than a year in hospital and another year going through physiotherapy. Until today, I still have the scars and even a metal plate in my hand. I never got compensated for it. What about the other millions of Kenyans who suffer a similar fate? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if it is in terms of court awards, then we have seen and witnessed in this country people who have been victims of torture and made legal claims which have been awarded through courts. They spend years and years following up on their awards. It is evident and there to be seen; that actually most of these claimants die without ever enjoying those benefits that they claim. So, this is a serious issue. But what is even more serious is that over 90 per cent of all those claimants are poor people. This is because those who are well connected and wealthy can afford to use their connections and wealth to access the benefits that they seek. But the poor person, who has no means and only relies on the goodwill of the Government and other paying agencies and companies to pay have to bear the brunt and suffer for a whole lifetime before they can get what is rightfully theirs. So, this is a Motion and issue that is right at the heart of the Kenyan people. It requires to be treated with a lot of seriousness, so that we ensure that once and for all, this is brought to a halt. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support all the Senators who have spoken before me and proposed that, indeed, the effective way to deal with this, is to come up with a Bill that will be firmed clearly in the law that stipulates the timeframe and manner in which those compensations and payments are supposed to be made. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}