Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 513777,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/513777/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gethenji",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2874,
        "legal_name": "James Ndungu Gethenji",
        "slug": "james-ndungu-gethenji"
    },
    "content": "rampant cross-border insecurity. He also pointed out that other countries such as Qatar, Turkey and Ethiopia were already operating embassies in Somalia and reinforcing their place in the Somali society. As a leader in the regional front, Kenya should not be left behind; this is also the observation of this Committee. Further, the knowledge he gathered from his expansive military service came out during the vetting. For example, he noted the need for stronger ties between the Government of Somalia and Kenya to facilitate the fight against terrorism and AlShabaab. He also talked about the impact insecurity has had on the Kenyan economy. The lack of regulations governing trade along the Kenya-Somali border has led to an influx of contraband goods, and the resultant loss of revenue in Kenya. This is because tax is not collected by either Kenya or Somalia. The porous nature of the Kenya-Somali border contributes to proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which fuel violence and undermine security measures within the country. The nominee was of the opinion that fostering good relations with the leadership of the Federal Republic of Somalia will aid in satisfactorily remedying this situation. The Committee, therefore, found that retired Major-Gen. Lukas K. Tumbo was suitable for the appointment as the Kenyan ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia. The Committee unanimously endorsed his appointment as is evidenced by our Report. Kenya has been in the forefront of engaging Somalia even at a time when Somalia had no formal Government. Kenya has been in the front line of accommodating refugees from Somalia, and supporting efforts to rebuild not only the economy, but also the Government and the governing structures and institutions. This started way back in 2002 when we had the Somalia Reconciliation Conference in Kenya, and this continued over the next few years. In 2003 we had the National Somali Reconciliation Conference; in 2004 we had the Nairobi Conference and so on and so forth. This culminated in the formation of a transitional Federal Government of Somalia, which was originally domiciled in Kenya. We have progressed hand in hand with our brothers across the border to the position, where today they are internationally recognized as government of Somalia. We now wish to assist in establishing peace and security in Somalia to allow for greater economic prosperity for the people of the Republic of Somalia and the greater economic prosperity of the people of the East African region. It is the same prosperity that is enjoyed by our East African Community partners of Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. We want Somalia to be part of that equation, because peace and security in Somalia means economic development not only for the people of Somalia, but for the whole East Africa region. There are thousands of Kenyans currently living in Mogadishu. These are mainly teachers, hospitality staff and entrepreneurs. They will definitely benefit greatly from Kenya’s physical presence in terms of diplomatic representation. It has been a shame that all these years when we have been engaging Somalia we have not actually had a physical embassy on the ground. We have an embassy, yes, but it has been sitting in NSSF House, here in Nairobi because of lack of security on the ground in Mogadishu. Many countries have established embassies in Mogadishu, Somalia. These countries include China, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Iran, Libya, Qatar, Sudan, Turkey, Uganda, the UK and even Yemen. 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."
}