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{
    "id": 457070,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/457070/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 242,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "“A hero means a person declared a hero under provisions of part four.” Part four shows what the committee provides. Let us be bold enough to say who a hero is; somebody who has gone out of his way to serve other people other than himself. One who has gone beyond the line of duty and whose actions have inspired others to dream and do more; those who gave up part of themselves for the sake of this country. I would also like to suggest that we need to recognize heroes, not just those who have gone, but those who are there with us. Heroes do not necessarily mean people who are old. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I know very many young people whom we can consider as heroes in this country. There are very many young people in different fields who actually deserve that honour. Recently, we saw the son of former Defence Minister, Yusuf Haji during the Westgate incident. That young man is a hero. He put his life at risk to go and rescue even strangers at the Westgate Mall because he had a licensed firearm. But he believed in this country and believed that our country cannot be brought to its knees by cowards who were terrorists. We have young Kenyans who are flying our flag high. We have the daughter of Kisumu Senator, hon. Peter Anyang’-Nyong’o. Right now in Hollywood, everyone is talking about her. That young girl has really shown that in Kenya, we have more than just athletes; we have artists as well. That young lady should be considered to be a heroine. We have athletes like hon. Wesley Korir, who might not want to be called a hero. He says that, just winning a metal does not make you a hero. It is what you do after you win. But this Bill provides for the fact that, even when you have been declared a hero; if you start misbehaving, the heroism can be revoked. If you start misbehaving even after you have been declared a hero, it can be revoked. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, there is no value in giving people flowers when they cannot smell them. I remember we were talking about the late Chelegat Mutai – an indomitable fighter for human rights who stood up even to the Moi regime. All those nice things were said about her after she died. Let us recognise the contributions of people like Matiba and Muite, Raila Odinga, Rev. Njoya and such people whom, at their time, really sacrificed their own comfort for the sake of this country, for multipartism and for us to enjoy the freedom that we, sometimes, take for granted. Let us recognise them for the roles they played then. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, many times, when I go to Hurlingham, I see an old Peugeot 504 bearing the name “JOK”, driven by a man called “Joe Kadenge”. I remember that when I was younger than I am now, I used to sing with fellow young people: “ Kadenge ana mpira . Shoot Goal!”We knew Kadenge as an icon of sporting. I remember meeting him once when I was much younger, when my father was the Treasurer of Kenya Football Federation (KFF). If you see him now, he looks strong. Because of his fitness, he looks full of life but you can tell that there is something more than can be done for him. God forbid, are we waiting for Joe Kadenge to pass on for us to recognise his contribution to this country? Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is about time we took our heroes very seriously. I support this Bill and pray that whatever council will be set up, will not be a council that will just become a clique to award people commendations that they do not deserve. I want to suggest further the council should start by reviewing all the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}