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{
    "id": 513807,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/513807/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 153,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "You must say under which Standing Order (SO) you are raising the point of order. Hon. Speaker, my concern is that Kenya is going through a democratic process. We have a very young skilled labour force. My father-in-law is a general, who retired in 1996. Gen. Mohamed has a very strong role to play. Generals should join Gen. Tonje, Gen. Kibwana and all the others who have retired. We should not bring back generals to active duty. In Western democracies like the United States of America and the United Kingdom, generals become lecturers. They become consultants and defence analysts. They do not join the public service. We are telling our President that, hopefully, this will be the last general to be given a job. I have nothing against generals, but we must employ the young, energetic professionals. If you retire at the age of 60, so be it. Even us politicians, when we lose elections, we go back to the village. We rarely get jobs. So, it is not good for a country that is developing its democracy to bring back military generals into active public service. Military generals have some history; they have some character and form. I am sure that hon. Makali is wondering if I have anything against Gen. Tumbo. I have nothing against him. He is one of the few generals from the county of the Leader of the Minority Party. He is a happy man today but next time when we get one from Meru, he must support him. He has been opposing. It is Parliament which is doing the vetting. We have young Kenyans who are studying international relations. Finally, there are Kenyan career diplomats who grew in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when they left university. Some of them are at the positions of directors. As a country, we must have more diplomats from career diplomats. Somalia is a very important country to Kenya. Look at the lady US ambassador that President Obama appointed two months ago. She was one of the finest diplomats in the State Department. Kenya should have appointed the best diplomat. Our presence in Somalia is not about diplomacy. It is about getting hold of the region. If you look at the Ethiopian and Ugandan ambassadors in Somalia, they are the most intelligent and best career diplomats. When you take a General to Somalia and you want that General to compete and make sure that Kenya--- You know the person who is listening to me very attentively is the former Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and he knows what I am talking about. Hon. Leader of the Minority Party, you were on leave for many years."
}