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{
    "id": 610541,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/610541/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 152,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mwangi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2252,
        "legal_name": "Peter Kamande Mwangi",
        "slug": "peter-kamande-mwangi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion concerning our heroes. For any person, group or nation to move forward, it must know its history. One of the things which may have made this country to lose patriotism is the way Mau Mau freedom fighters were treated. It is good that the British Government have realised the mistake that they made to Kenyans. However, we should ask ourselves: What have we done as a country towards our heroes? They fought for this country and yet they live in abject poverty. They were not able to get even a single piece of land. They live as squatters. Here we are talking of Kshs2.5 billion which has been provided by the British Government. What are we doing as the Government and as a people for whom these freedom fighters sacrificed themselves and their families? I urge this House that it is now time to act. Let us have a Bill which will be able to cater for our freedom fighters. We cannot have people living in abject poverty when they fought for this country. It is good that every part of this country fought for this country. They were the Mau Mau, Dini ya Musambwa and many others even from the Coast. However, let us now look at what we can do. Here is a case which was taken up by the British Government. However, it was all about business interest on the part of lawyers. Lawyers have taken a whole 35 per cent of the compensation amount. The freedom fighters were only being misused by these lawyers, the same way they were misused by their own people. It is the right time now. I support what hon. Wangamati is doing. As other Members have said, let us have a register of freedom fighters from all parts of this country and we start thinking of how to compensate them. Even today, there are those who fought for the second liberation of this country. We have somebody like Kenneth Njindo Matiba who is suffering at the Coast. He cannot even get medication. It is now time for this Government to take up the responsibility of looking after him. We know that we are enjoying the fruits brought by the struggle by Charles Rubia and Kenneth Matiba. 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."
}