Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 508595,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/508595/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 300,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Keynan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 41,
        "legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
        "slug": "adan-keynan"
    },
    "content": "What has informed this Bill is one of the issues that I raised. Being conscious of our state of security; taking into account that right now, Kenya is engaged in a serious war on radicalisation and terrorism, it is high time we documented and created a data bank through an institutional mechanism that will help the former members of the KDF, the current service members and the citizenry of Kenya. This will give an opportunity to the Kenyan citizen to know who in their midst has served in the KDF. This Bill was tabled in December 2013. It seeks to establish a Military Veterans Department. One of the reasons is that there has to be some sort of coordination. Are they being attended to as ordinary citizens? Is there an institutional mechanism within the larger framework of the KDF that deals with issues pertaining to the welfare of former members? Therefore, this Bill should not be seen in any way to be interfering with the services of those still active and serving members of the KDF. If anything, it should be seen as complementary to what they do. Historically, the KDF have done a great job, whether serving under the auspices of the United Nations, the African Union or any other international organisation. There are so many celebrated former members of the KDF who have been awarded and commended internationally. However, when it comes to the Kenyan context, the only time we celebrate them is when they have passed on. How many Kenyans still remembered that there was one great man called Gen. Mulinge until the day he passed on? Today, we still have, not former officers, but heads of this key institution in the name of Chief of General Staff. Quite a number of them are still active, still very young and can immensely contribute in nation building. This Bill is meant to cure the lacuna that exists. What happens? You have served, you have been employed to serve in the KDF may be at the age of 20 or 23 years, but because of the institutional mechanism, you are retired at a certain grade if you do not qualify for promotion to the next grade. Assume, hon. Temporary Deputy Chairman, you have been recruited as a first cadet at the age of 20 to 23 years. Immediately you leave Form Four and as long as one has the threshold, one is expected to qualify to join as a military cadet. If within five to six years, you do not qualify to the next grade, their rules require that you are retired. Here you are you, you have been well trained, well prepared but simply because of the organizational mechanism, you fail to qualify to be promoted to the next grade and you are retired at the age of 29. Where do you go? Who appreciates your services? What happens to you? The other day something happened. I met a great Kenyan lady in Azerbaijan, Baku. She is from Muranga and she provides key security services in Iraq. She used to be a Member of the defunct Women’s Service Corps. It is defunct because it no longer exists. We met at the airport and she said she is in Iraq as a head of about 18 retired former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers. She says she is there as a citizen and no one knows her whereabouts. What this Bill intends to do is to know the whereabouts of such highly qualified Kenyans. We will know their performance. We will know where they are engaged in for security reason and also for developmental purposes. It is because of this that I really want to plead with hon. Members. Let me say I am a ranking Member of the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee and having been the Chairman and a long serving Member of Parliament; I know what this is all about. This is why I am coming up with the issue of Parliamentary Society of Kenya because it deals 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."
}