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"id": 503453,
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"content": "politician who was fearless, frank, but somebody who was not bitter and did not exhibit bitterness even as he did his political engagements. For that reason, the reason of friendship and the good times and discussions that we have had with Sen. Kajwang as my elder brother that made me to drive all the way at 1.00 a.m. yesterday, alone. Even as I stand here, I still have not really come to terms with this. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, mine is just to eulogise this great man. I want to take this opportunity to send my condolences to his wife, friends, family and the people of the County of Homa Bay who gave Sen. Kajwang three uninterrupted terms, first of all, as Member of the National Assembly representing Mbita Constituency and, finally, when he decided to vie for the Senate seat. They capped his three term success with electing him as the first Senator of that county. We appreciate the people of Homa Bay County. However, the loss that we are talking about today is not a loss to only the family of Otieno Kajwang or Homa Bay County alone, I dare say, it is not just a loss to ODM or CORD, it is a loss to the Kenyan fraternity as a whole. It is a loss to our country and it is at times like these ones that we want to reflect as a nation and see how sometimes we take things so seriously, including our differences, only to learn at the end of the day that we are here, we have a finite time with one another. I hope the death of our friend will give us an opportunity to reflect, reorganize ourselves, be able to balance between the work we do and being able to take ourselves and even building friendships with other people. The greatest lesson that I carry from Otieno Kajwang’s legacy is being able to communicate a serious message without looking angry and secondly, being able to have friends whom you do not agree with politically. That was Otieno Kajwang for you. I know speaking from the Jubilee side, we are not trying to make it up. I know some of my colleagues will come here and speak, who have shared with me already. There are things they were discussing with Otieno Kajwang. I know Sen. Kipchumba Murkomen who also joined me at the hospital around 3.00 a.m. He told me they were working on a Bill on education together. It was initially a Motion and they were working on it. I know Sen. Charles Keter, my deputy, he told me just yesterday, around the same time that they had a discussion and there is something Sen. Kajwang wanted Sen. Keter to support him on. That is the spirit that we should build on. It is so sad that we are losing Otieno Kajwang hardly two years after we lost another senior colleague and friend, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is the time to mourn, bond and reach out. In honour of Otieno Kajwang, going forward, for the remainder of this session, we want to see how we can improve on our business and our communication so that even as we differ and disagree, we must do so in decorum, dignity and we must not internalize political differences to mean physical and actual enemity. I do not wish to take a lot of time because I know every Senator has a right, if I may say so, to eulogise our late brother. I just want to say that I am shocked and saddened that death can come so fast, speedily and in such a cruel manner. It horrifies me. I hope that through this experience we become stronger and better people and politicians. We can also prepare, so that when our time comes, we can depart in peace. I believe Otieno Kajwang left in peace because as late as yesterday, he was a happy man. 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."
}