{"id":584598,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/584598/?format=json","text_counter":217,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"forest. They ended up being branded very interesting names. They were referred to as Sabaot, Dorobo and others. These were strange names. They thought Dorobo were experts in harvesting honey in the forest. The Pokots were chased away from their lands, but when they wanted to resist, one man said that their prophet had warned them against resistance. He had said to them: “Do not fight back because you will be wiped out; one day you may be resettled back to your land.” They were then settled down the valley where mosquitoes were breeding in thousands. In other words, it was the kingdom of mosquitoes. That is why the number of my people where I come from has remained small. There were attacks which they did not understand. After Independence, their land they used to talk about was occupied by other Kenyans. The independent government sold their land to other Kenyans. The independent government was supposed to buy or get compensation from the British who evicted the real land owners of those days. We used to hear rumors when we were young in the 1970s, that money was paid to compensate our people who were displaced from Trans- Nzoia. To date, we are still waiting for the NLC to deal with the historical land injustices in this country. That is what is happening in West Pokot. You will find some of them still living around the hills singing in mother tongue and saying: “We were chased away and told not to fight.” If there are people who have really fought for the freedom of Africans and their fellow Kenyans, it is the Pokots. Recently this Government assisted the Mau Mau survivors to get compensation from the British Government for losing their beloved ones and land. What about other communities? The Maasai in Narok and Kajiado have never been compensated. Nairobi was referred to as “Enkare Nyirobi;” or the place of cool water. That is why we have settled here; a place of cool water. We know who was staying where during those days. If this Government was to compensate our people with land and recognize them with a token of appreciation in terms of money, it would go towards healing this country. If you go to Ukambani or any other part of this country, the cry is the same. The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development together with the NLC must pay attention to these problems. They should compensate our people instead fighting permanently with the Ministry. Both of them want to be in charge of issuing title deeds. At the end of the day, we become the losers. When there is such confusion a number of cartels emerge. If they are fighting today, what will happen to the historical injustices that were meted on the people? The worst thing that ever happened to us was that young educated Kenyans in this country never considered the plight of other communities. They did not assist them. The Bible says during the days of ignorance, God overlooked so many things. This means that when man knew nothing God stepped in and protected him. I expected that the days when some communities were illiterate and ignorant, the new political class of that time would have stepped in and assisted them. Even if we burry our heads in the sand like an ostrich, this historical injustice will continue to haunt us. An ostrich hides its tiny head and leaves the body exposed. We need to be bold enough to address these issues. When we raise this issue, it is not that the Government of the day is being blamed. This is what collective Kenyan leadership must do. We were all members of the Grand Coalition Government. There was no opposition; we were all serving in that government. I would have loved to see my senior, 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."}