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{
    "id": 390595,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/390595/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 77,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "colleagues in the Opposition conducted themselves through this period. I am proud of them. I think it is something they should take with due humility and it is only us who can say it; they cannot say it themselves. It should continue. That is the spirit with which we want to build our country. We want to say that this moment, sad as it is, has given us a different perception about ourselves, about our brothers, about our people who we interact with and, therefore, for once, I can say that I am a very proud Kenyan. I feel very secure that I am in the middle of brothers and sisters and anything that happens to me as an individual or anything that happens to any of us is a collective problem. I can rest assured that, as a country, we will stand with one another in times like these. There is a proverb among the Xhosa of South Africa, and they say: “It is only when there is trouble when you will realize the value of your friends and your brothers.” I think this trouble has hit on us as a nation and it has reminded us to be very careful as leaders, so that as much as we will continue with business as usual and with our lives going forward, there are certain limits we will not exceed, not because it is comfortable; not because it suits us politically, but because the nation’s interest demands that we restrain ourselves. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is in that context that I also want to appreciate the ordinary people in this country who have come out so gallantly and so decisively. I have seen ladies who are camping outside Westgate Mall with thermos flasks and foodstuffs which they are offering to the soldiers who are involved in that operation and to the victims who are being rescued. I do not think there is any other act of patriotism that can supersede that kind of commitment. So, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not want to take a lot of time because I think every Senator, as much as possible, should ventilate and express solidarity with the country at a time like this one. We want to build on what has happened. We condemn these acts, we resist any attempts for criminals to believe or to have it in their minds that they can tear down our country through acts like what happened on Saturday. We want to use this to build our systems going forward. We need, as parliamentarians, to review our legislation to ensure that access to our borders is controlled. I am appalled when people just find their way to our airports and then they are applying for visas there. We know that getting out of this country even for senior Government and political leaders like myself – some of the countries ask you so many questions before they give you a visa – but in this country, any person, so long as he is a tourist and has US$50, will find their way up to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and then they will get the visa from there. We also want to commend the security forces for what they are doing and for what they have done, but also going forward, we will have to face the issue of our homeland security head on. We will not spare anything; we will not spare anybody and if we have to review certain things, if we have to look at re-working our institutional framework on homeland security, this is the time. We could not have a better time as this."
}