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    "id": 532327,
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    "content": "challenge in terms of achieving our national values and principles in Article 10. Other than the challenges and successes, the President also brought out two other challenges which I want to major on because much of his Speech dwelt on these challenges that he thought must be confronted, head on, if we are to secure our country as a modern prosperous nation, going forward. The first one is the issue of past gross violations of human rights in our country. This is the first instance where the attention of legislators was caught almost unaware. For the first time, the head of state apologized on behalf of all governments that have been in Kenya since Independence, up to and including his own Government. He said that he offers an official apology to all the people of this country who have been victims of human rights violations and injustices perpetuated by the Government and its agents. For many of us in this country, that was a very bold statement. It is something that must be applauded. It is not easy to give an apology. I have heard some people commenting that sorry is not enough. I agree but saying so, is the first step towards achieving the objectives of truth, justice and reconciliation. To acknowledge that governments have done wrong and to apologize is not something that should be taken lightly. I want to assure the people of this country that all the countries that have closed a chapter of their dark past have all started with an official acknowledgement that something went wrong: El Salvador, East Timor, Cambodia, Rwanda, South Africa and so on, are some of the countries which took a first step in acknowledging that something did not go right. That is what happened on 26th March, 2015. No president has had the courage to acknowledge that, indeed, there have been human rights violations and injustices in our country. The President went on to suggest that he would be encouraging the establishment of a fund that can be used to achieve the next step of making sure that justice is done and there is a bit of restorative justice in our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I remember when Kenya got into trouble with itself in 2007 and January, 2008. Many leaders at that time, including leaders who are looking at me in this House, condemned our country into the hands of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by refusing to believe in a local solution that mixes truth, justice and reconciliation. Some of us at that time were in the academia. We said that the path of retribution would destroy our country. The path of “an eye for an eye” is a concept of justice that only looks at one part of the problem. I still hold the same view today, even as I speak as the Senate Majority Leader in this House, that the future of our country does not lie in how many people we jail or hang. The future lies in three things. All of them have to be backed by a credible full-proof and transparent institutional mechanism. First and foremost, we need to know the truth. As the holy scriptures say, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Therefore, what the President did was to initiate national dialogue on trying to establish what actually happened in Kenya since Independence. The operative word is “truth”. The moment we know and establish the truth, our country will move towards freedom. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the second thing is justice. When we know what happened and what did not go right, we need to right our wrongs. My argument – and I think it is the position that I proudly saw in the Speech and the address of the President – is that if we want a comprehensive package of justice in our country once we know the 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."
}