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{
    "id": 734496,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/734496/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 40,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 366,
        "legal_name": "Amos Sitswila Wako",
        "slug": "amos-wako"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I congratulate the Senator for Nandi for having presented this Petition on behalf of the Talai Community. The Talai Community has to be compensated. Because of the shortage of time, I just want to refer to the last prayer which is about enabling the Talai to pursue their complaints against the British Government. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is already a precedent for this. It relates to the case that was filed in London on behalf of the Mau Mau veterans. The Mau Mau veterans raised their own money and filed that case but because of the heavy lawyers’ fees involved, they went to the then Attorney-General, Sitswila Amos Wako, to find out whether the Government could take over the case particularly as it relates to the payment of the fees of that case. In consultation with the then President Kibaki and others, we took over the payment of the legal fees of those people and also appointed an advocate who is now my successor to go and observe how that case was going. We also appointed Government lawyers to go and observe not only how that case was going but also to support the petition by the Mau Mau veterans. That was a precedent and it was never thought that the Independent Government could take over the liabilities of the former Colonial Government because the acts were done by the Colonial Government. Internationally, it was quite a case and people were asking how an independent state can take over the ills perpetrated by the Colonial Government but we succeeded. So, there is a precedent. As far as that prayer is concerned, it should be implemented forthwith. In fact, the Government should be proactive in ensuring that communities such as the Talai and others who were the first generation of freedom fighters---. They fought at the time when the colonialists came. All others are second generation freedom fighters who wanted independence and began fighting for it. The first ones were those who decided to fight the Whites who were coming into our country. Therefore, they must be honoured and we must assist those communities which were brave enough to face the Whiteman. In the Government being proactive to assist them in these cases, I would plead that they implement the TJRC Report and the decision of the African Court on Human Rights as far as the people’s rights of the Talai people are concerned, without further delay. This will show that they have genuine interest in dealing with this historical injustice."
}