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{
    "id": 389685,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/389685/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 97,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "had only seven police officers. The police officers were surrounded in the camp and could not dare come out. I flew there and met an elderly Turkana. I asked him what he expected the Government to do for him. He looked at me and told me: “All I want is a gun, so that I can go and retrieve my cattle.” I felt so small because I expected him to say that he wanted some food and so on. He was so determined and believed that if he was given only a gun, he would be able to go after his cattle which were driven to Sudan. Madam Temporary Speaker, thereafter, I went to the President, I narrated the story to him and told him that we must arm the home guards so that they could protect themselves. They do a very good job despite the fact that there could be a few mistakes here and there. But the good things they do are much more than the evil they commit. In my own experience, in my former constituency, Ijara, our people truck their livestock and take it to Lamu for sale, whereas, there are no matatus or buses. In the 1990s after the fall of Siad Barre, bandits were roaming about everywhere and they used to rob our people. They used to call Ijara the “small Saudi”. I asked the President to allow us to recruit about 65 home guards and he agreed. Up to today, there has never been a single incident inspite of the fact that Al Shabaab is also roaming about up in the north. The 65 home guards are doing their best. In fact, most of these people have very low means of livelihood. A rich man with his shop will not take a gun and become a watchman. Somebody with 300 to 400 herds of cattle will not bother to carry a gun because it is a bother. These are some poor fellows who are committed to serving the society and they should be recognized. I am sorry to say that the money we spend on paying elderly people should be used to pay home guards. The elderly people should be taken care of by the community. The home guards should be taken care of by the Government because it is the Government which has armed them. I also totally have a different view from my brother, the Senate Minority Leader with regard to the Governors, because they are interested parties. If the home guards issue is left to them, you will hear the same story you heard from my brother, Sen. (Dr.) Kuti that they will use them against the other areas. So, they should be managed by the National Government and it should pay them. Really, home guards should be paid. We should also recruit some in Bungoma and many other places because they can do a better job than the police officers. In any case, they do not require vehicles. They walk on foot. I very strongly believe that this is the right time for the Government to do something about the home guards; they should put structures in place. For example, they should be armed properly. Most of them are only armed with 303 guns. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}