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"speaker_name": "Sen. Kagwe",
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"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I was hard put to try and finalize. I wanted to thank Sen. Wetangula and sit down, but thank you for your generosity. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the people of Nyeri and, indeed, on behalf of those of us who feel very strongly about Prof. Ali Mazrui and his contribution, I also wish to condole the family and, indeed, the people of this great Republic. It is not often that we rise to mourn and eulogize academicians. Usually, what we do is mourn and eulogize politicians. But it is in the spirit that Sen. Wetangula has brought to this House that we begin to recognize that leadership is not just political leadership. Prof. Ali Mazrui was a global leader and a global citizen; but he had nothing to do with elective politics as such. Therefore, it is good for us to note that and encourage young people, particularly the people in the coast region, to note that you can come from any background and you can start from any step. It is the Chinese who say that “the journey of a thousand miles start with the first step.” This is exemplified in what Prof. Mazrui has done; from a small village somewhere in the coast that Sen. Hassan has explained to us all the way to universities in Manchester, United States of America and back again to Oxford in the United Kingdom. This is encouraging. It is the song we should sing to our young people. This is the song that should permeate throughout our nation so that people can see that irrespective of where they come from, they can go places and that in this country, given the opportunity, our young people can be achievers as, indeed, Ali Mazrui was. I congratulate Sen. Hassan and the Committee that put together the funeral arrangements for Professor Mazrui. However, we must remember that only when it is dark can you see the sun. Sometimes, when we are speaking, we do not praise those who have achieved. For example, on Mashujaa Day, many names were mentioned. It is in keeping with that spirit that I will agree with one Senator who said that even as we have Mashujaa Days in our counties, we should also remember and recognise the people in those counties who are doing great things. We can mention many names and others who have gone before us. It is good to recognise and praise those who are with us. Often, in our cultures, even the words “thank you” are not used often. We do not say, thank you, Senator, for what you have done for us. Even amongst the citizenry, no matter what you do, often what you get is criticism. You do not get any praise. The Senators here can give numerous examples of things they have done. That behavior continues to permeate in leaders and to the nation as a whole. We do not know how to praise. We do not also know how to recognise those people amongst us who have done great things; not just for our communities but, in fact, for our country and perhaps further than that as Prof. Mazrui did. Look at what our athletes do. When you go with an athlete to a place like London, New York or Boston, you will find that this athlete is much more recognised than anybody around you. However, here in Kenya, there is no recognition of such people. I would like to encourage, in memory of Prof. 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."
}