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{
    "id": 396713,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/396713/?format=api",
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    "content": "Senate urges the national Government to establish a fund from which the elders will be compensated for their services. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to move this Motion which touches on the functions and duties of the Department of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government. I present this Motion, particularly at a time when we are anchoring devolution in Kenya. I want us to benefit from the positive context of the African culture. Mr. Temporary Speaker, this Motion is coming at a time when so many challenges are visiting African countries, particularly Kenya. It is only last week when we had the tragedy at Westgate Mall. Some people from outside this country attacked and killed innocent Kenyans. We must beef up security along our borders with our neighbours. It is sad that they passed through so many villages to come and commit a heinous crime in the heart of our capital city without being noticed by our security agents. Something is very wrong along our border points. They were travelling by vehicles. They must have taken food or water along the way. I believe they must also have interacted with so many people. They must have been noticed in one way or another as aliens, but nobody brought this to the attention of our security agencies. Mr. Temporary Speaker, our culture is a heritage from God. He gave us elders who are the custodians of our wisdom. They have passed their wisdom and knowledge from one generation to another. The positive attributes that we have today as human beings were passed to us by the older generations. Today, in Kenya, according to the recent data, we have more than 288 districts. In these districts, we have 3,350 locations scattered across the entire country. We also have sub-locations totaling to 8,300. This is the data which can be generated by the Department of Interior and Co-ordination of National Government. Mr. Temporary Speaker, each location is headed by a chief who falls under the national Government. Every sub-location is headed by a sub-chief, who is paid and trained by the national Government. From a historical perspective, we know that all these leaders that are paid by the people of Kenya through our taxes do not work alone, but under the direction of the village elders. These village elders may not be “old” necessarily by virtue of age, but by the position they hold in that village to take care of societal matters. If you look at the data clearly, you will find an average of ten people working with a sub-chief to advise him and to talk about issues that affect the village. In the perspective that I am presenting this Motion, it looks like we have not tapped and taken advantage of the structures we have had in the past. These people have been doing a good job. Every document you have in Kenya today talks about village elders. For example, the last time we had a census in 2009, one paragraph of a document stated: “Each assistant chief, with the assistance of his village elders, had to take the mappings when they were doing the data to know how many people were there.” So, the role of village elders is recognized in Kenya, but it looks like we only use these people when a need arises. After that, we have no use for them. Yet they are the ones who play the crucial roles, particularly in the pastoralist areas where I come from. These are the people who have brought a lot of peace in our communities. The local community and the national Government must tap the wisdom of these people. I also know that the county governments have come in and they will tap into them when they want to maintain peace and order in the villages. 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."
}