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{
    "id": 677310,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/677310/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 264,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. M’uthari",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1576,
        "legal_name": "Joseph M'eruaki M'uthari",
        "slug": "joseph-meruaki-muthari"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to speak to this Bill. At the outset, I support this good Bill. It is a good Bill because it clarifies a number of issues within the Kenya Defence Forces Act. It also makes clarifications around the issue of torture. I have issues around court martial. At times, human rights are not respected. I have a case of one of my constituents who has been in the Kenya Defence Forces but had a health challenge. With the health challenge, they put him under duress, stress and in custody for more than 18 months. They then dismissed him without paying his dues. I will not discuss that because I have brought a Petition to that effect. I applaud our KDF for their exemplary work especially in defending our country, for the good job they are doing in defending our borders and for the discipline they have exhibited. We also applaud the generals like our former colleague, Hon. Nkaissery, who have been given responsibilities. He was given the role of a Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government. He has done a great job in terms of improving security. We thank him for the good job. The various amendments proposed are going to create alignment in terms of management and policy direction within the KDF, especially the roles in the military given to civilians like our current Cabinet Secretary for Defence. It is important to distinguish these roles clearly. It helps in management and policy direction. Strengthening the role of the KDF is important. Giving them specific roles also helps in terms of giving direction to the other service commanders. It streamlines all aspects. However, I was speaking about the question of having the Committee. We appreciate the discipline and the way the KDF conduct their roles. But, it is also important to respect human dignity when it comes to a person. It is important to respect a person. For example, the person I was talking about who is a young man – Nesbon Kibara Mbaabu – has suffered for several months. He has been sick. Instead of being observed properly and taken for medical care, the person is tortured and thrown out of the service like a dog. They throw him out without giving him his dues and medication. Even a dog is treated better. Anybody, including the bosses can suffer. If somebody suffers, he does not have to be treated so unkindly and unfairly. This amendment to the KDF Act is very important. The amendment under Part IV provides for the KDF to engage people from other services. It can have as reservists people from other services who have been trained. These people can be given opportunity to participate. The country may be in a crisis and may require more human resources. In that case, harnessing the other human resource available is, in my opinion, a good idea. It can help increase the personnel, especially where the country is in a situation of disaster or war and it is necessary to have more personnel. In that case, the President can have a leeway to have that. The other provision is on the involvement of this House during deployment of the KDF personnel to areas that may have challenges. The approval of this Parliament is important to strengthen that aspect so that our oversight role is given due prominence and preference. We are here to protect the nation. We are also here for the interest of Kenyans. We are here to ensure that within our oversight role, nobody is taking over the mandate that is for the greater good of the Kenyan people. With those few remarks, I support this Bill. Thank you. 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."
}