Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 534935,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/534935/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 111,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Gure",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 578,
        "legal_name": "Shukran Hussein Gure",
        "slug": "shukran-hussein-gure"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this chance. I stand to comment on the Presidential Speech made on 26th March, 2015. The President‟s Address on the State of the Nation is one of the most memorable Presidential Speeches that will earn him public confidence. It will also go down to the annals of history as bold and articulate. The President spoke on a range of issues. However, I will comment on the issue that touches on the people that I represent. First and foremost, I would like to commend him for taking one of the most unprecedented steps that his predecessors never took before. He apologised and set aside a Kshs10 billion reparation fund to compensate victims of historical injustices that were committed by past regimes, including his. This is a commendable move as far as the people of Garissa County are concerned, who bore the brunt of brutality by the security forces during the Bulla Kartasi Massacre in 1980. Historical injustices happened to people in many parts of this country. The apology from the President has touched those people who had no faith in the Government. It is a golden opportunity that the Government that has harassed and denied the evil actions has come to its senses and done the honourable thing. This bold move by the President was not limited to Garissa County. The other past historical injustices committed in the former Northern Frontier District are the infamous Wagalla Massacre in Wajir and Malka Mari Massacre in Mandera and Garsen. This will solve many others. There will be no unity if we do not address historical injustices. What the President did is a step in the right direction. However, the Kshs10 billion reparation fund cannot be enough. We urge him to compensate the victims of those past injustices as recommended by the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) Report. We do not want the Ksh10 billion to be hearsay. We want to see action. Secondly, I want to laud the President for the improvements that have been made on health centres, particularly maternity clinics. In his Speech, the President indicated that free maternity hospital services greatly improved deliveries in our public health facilities and that the maternal mortality rate has significantly decreased from 488 to 360 per 1,000 live births. This is commendable. As a mother, I would like the President to do more in addressing the plight of women in this country. In addition to that, the President‟s commitment to providing universal health care to Kenyans is welcome. I also want to thank the President for appreciating and recognising our work as legislators. Despite this House almost losing its integrity, the President commended us for what we are doing. He acknowledged that not all of us are bad as many would want to 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."
}