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{
    "id": 420578,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/420578/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
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    "content": "down because they are not accommodated well. They know that there is no adequate provision for their children in the event of death. Some break down mentally and permanently to a point that they cannot cater for their families. We have seen such cases of children visiting Members of Parliaments for assistance. We have had to do harambees to assist them. Surely, the Government, which they served, should take care of them. There are also cases where officers have gone missing in action whether in Baragoi, Sierra Leone and so on. It is unfortunate that once such a situation arises, it takes a lot of time for the relatives, wives and children to receive compensation. In the Government, when a person goes missing, the first assumption is that the person is alive, for a certain period of time. For someone to be presumed to have died, it takes several years. Within that period, a child in class one would have gone up to class seven or eight and, perhaps, failed in his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) due to lack of parental care. These are situations that should be considered in whatever scheme that may come. In combat, it is not only the strength of firearm that determines the outcome of the battle. It is not even the numbers; but more importantly, it is the team that is there. A person’s morale is boosted when he is sure that he knows that his nation is taking care of him and his family in the event of any eventualities. It appears that sometimes the criminals who include terrorists and armed robbers are ahead of the security agents. Sometimes when they go to jail they have a way of ensuring that their families are taken care of. The terrorists are assured from when they are being recruited that their families will be safe and yet these are the people who are supposed to face off with our security personnel. Our security agents should equally be morally armed through what we are proposing in this Motion. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if we do not provide such incentives, in the event of an eventuality, we know that nature hates a vacuum. So, what normally happens is that our security officers will gang up and provide for themselves in the manner that we have seen. Unfortunately, they will do this through corruption, or even co-operating with the criminals because they have to cater for themselves and their families in the event of any eventuality in the way they think best. If we were able to provide for them, perhaps, corruption would be minimized. When it comes to following up whatever payments are due to them, most widows are taken advantage of by brokers and sometimes members of their families who pretend to know how best to follow up the dues. At the end of the day, they do not even receive whatever dues they are owed because there is nobody to take care of them. I am thinking that in establishing this insurance policy, every department that is concerned should also have a liaison office specifically dedicated to follow up on pension matters, gratuity and even insurance matters on behalf of the fallen officers after they have gone until the last penny has been paid so that their families do not have to travel from upcountry all the way to Nairobi to be paid. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I know for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) when it comes to criminal cases and so on, the military provides advocates or lawyers to defend 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."
}