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{
    "id": 506520,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/506520/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 333,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Waiganjo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2644,
        "legal_name": "John Muriithi Waiganjo",
        "slug": "john-muriithi-waiganjo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, for also giving me this opportunity. I think there are times when we have to confront the truth. The truth about our country is that it is bleeding. It is actually at war with itself and with terrorists. I do not see the point why our leaders should hold Press conferences and give us that hard talk; “We shall chase them. No stone should be left unturned. We will make sure we vanquish them.” I think that now is water under the bridge. We must realise that we are at the mercy of terrorists. It is good to be candid. Unless and until we do something very radical, we must change the way we think. We must handle security in quite a different way. I think we do have a way of doing that. First of all, we have enough legislation; we do not need new legislation. We need to enforce the legislation that we have. We have framers of the Constitution who gave us Article 238 on principles of national security. We also have Article 238(2)(a) which talks of national security as a subject to the authority of the Constitution and Parliament. Therefore, in this Parliament we are Government. I do not understand Members who say that the Government has failed or Jubilee has failed. Which Government has failed? This is one arm of Government. Parliament is an arm of Government just as the Executive and the Judiciary. If there are any failures in Government, count yourself a failure. Therefore, we have failed as a Parliament and as leaders of this country and that is why you cannot understand why a Member of the Senate would go demonstrating on the streets. He risks being lynched because what are you telling Kenyans? That you are unable to handle security? You are joining them out there to mourn together? There are better ways of doing things. Let us be more patriotic. Let us know it is our country that is going to burn. When it comes to war; when it comes to a common enemy, there is no CORD and there cannot be any Jubilee. We are all on as one Government. We are, therefore, looking at Article 240 in debating this Report of the President. I do not agree with the people who say that this Report has been overtaken by events or is stale. It is not. If you ask me, it is coming at the right time because what we should be looking at is the state of the security in the nation as at 27th of March and as it is today. So, Article 240 of the Constitution commands or mandates the National Security Council (NSC) to access and appraise the objectives, commitments and risks to the Republic, in respect of the actual and potential national security capabilities. That is where we are now. The National Security Council should be looking inwards to see whether our national security capabilities are still in place or whether we need certain appraisals. 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."
}