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"speaker_name": "Sen. Billow",
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"legal_name": "Billow Adan Kerrow",
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"content": "Apologies, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a very important regulation. For close to 50 years, we have been awarding honours or conferring medals to Kenyans for their various distinguished services to this country. While I have no problem with the different categories of medals that are being given for the various distinguished services, my main concern is the basis on which this is done. Regulation 14 that talks about the basis that will be used for conferment of a national honour is largely abused in this country. Even today, the list that was published in the media last week of the people who are going to be conferred with honours for the 50th Anniversary of the Jubilee celebrations leaves a lot to be desired. One of the things that surprise you is that if anybody joins public service at a certain job group and above, automatically his or her name gets included for the award of these medals. I will give you examples of people who have just been appointed into various commissions, Principal Secretaries and Cabinet Secretaries, who until the other day were not in public service, who immediately get honoured. The trouble with this is that it is not being consistently applied to all those who are serving in the public service. For example, there are the elected leaders who are ignored. You should read what it says in Article 14. It says:- (a) A person shall merit the conferment of a national honour if the person is:- (i) A person who has exhibited or exhibits exemplary qualities, actions or achievements of heroism, sacrifice, bravery, patriotism or leadership of a county. It is amazing that those who have served in Parliament, whether it is in the Senate or the National Assembly do not get recognized, yet you find even those who are serving in the rural areas in the public service, even to the level of a chief, get recognized. There are people in this House and in the National Assembly who have offered exemplary service by not just being leaders of the constituencies or the counties, but in terms of the legislation that they have brought in this country, the Motions that they have done and their contribution in many ways. I do not understand why it is so difficult for the Government to recognize anybody who is elected. I think that is the challenge. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if today any of these hon. Senators is appointed to a public service job, immediately his or her name will be included. However, when he or she sits here to represent thousands of people, he or she is not recognized. I do not understand why we have the basis for conferment. I think that is the first challenge I have. Secondly, we are celebrating 50 years and honouring people who fought for Independence in this country. It is not in every county that we do know the people who have fought. Some of these people have luckily been recognized because they have been in the media and the history books. However, there are thousands of others from Mandera to Lamu who have contributed to the freedom of this country and yet they have not been recognized. I am surprised because they asked the various counties to submit their names, but they did not bother to find out who contributed to Independence in that county and who stood up to the British rule because they were everywhere in this country. They did not look at those people who served in the 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s. They simply sat down and wrote the names of the people who are there today. I do not understand the basis on which that list is discussed, approved and published in the newspapers. So we 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 may be making regulations, but they are overtaken by events. I do not understand the purpose for having these regulations when the list has already been published. Are we doing it for the shelves? With all due respect to the Senate Majority Leader who moved this Motion, I think it is important that there is fairness and equity in the conferment of honours to all Kenyans who have contributed in many ways. We know of people who have done marvelous things or exemplary work in this country in their own ways, but I do not understand the basis on which that debate generates an individual who then gets listed for honours. For that reason, I although I support this Motion, we may be doing an academic exercise because that list is out. I do not know whether the Act lists the actual people who are responsible for identifying the individuals to the honoured and the process. However, in these regulations, it does not go very far to say the basis that the Honours and Advisory committee used. If they were going by this, then I think many people have been left out. It is important that they recognize all types of leaders, but not only those who are serving in the public service. Thank you."
}