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{
    "id": 749782,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/749782/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 112,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lentoimaga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2756,
        "legal_name": "Alois Musa Lentoimaga",
        "slug": "alois-musa-lentoimaga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Deputy speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. I rise to support the National Police Service (Amendment) Bill. It has come at the right time. Compensation for police officers is long overdue. We have a number of police officers who have served this country for a long time. In my own constituency, I have two of them. One has been an Officer Commanding Police Station (OCS) for over 20 years. He is in a very bad condition now because he is suffering from a kidney ailment which can only be treated in India. He is unable to raise money. His family has come to me several times.In fact, he is now at Aga Khan Hospital undergoing dialysis. The medical cover that he is given is not sufficient to pay for surgery in India. This particular Bill is very important to our police officers. They are our sons, daughters, friends, relatives and brothers. They work throughout night and day and all of us know it. When we are asleep, or seated comfortably in our houses, these young men and women are out there facing a lot of challenges. In the rain and in sunshine, they do not sleep. They protect our country at the control points around our borders. Some of them face huge challenges especially from our warring neighbouring countries like Sudan and Somalia. We know that there is infiltration of small arms in our country. Young men have a lot of firearms that are always targeted at the police. In North Rift, police are faced with serious challenges as they try to maintain law and order in communities that have a huge number of firearms. They even lose lives. You remember the massacre that occurred in my constituency in 2012 where about 50 police officers were killed by merciless cattle rustlers. They killed people and even stripped them naked when they were already dead. This is an example of the challenges that police officers go through while on duty. Therefore, this is a very timely Amendment Bill. I am the Vice-Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security. We have gone through this Bill. We want to bring amendments to enrich the Bill. We will do that during the Third Reading. Policemen have welfare problems. They live in deplorable housing conditions. Although we have allocated a lot of money for housing and even purchase of police equipment, the police are still living in bad conditions. A good example is the situation in my constituency, Samburu North. The police there live in tents. They are congested in small rooms. Married couples share rooms. Now, to have three or more couples living in a one-roomed house is unacceptable. We want to urge the police authorities to make good use of the money that is given for purposes of reforms and housing. The effect of that money should be felt at the locations. Through my National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) in Samburu North, I have built five units of police camps but that is not enough. We still need the Inspector-General of Police (IG) and his officers to ensure that policemen in remote areas and in areas that are faced by insecurity are given the best facilities so that they are motivated. When police are posted to work in dangerous places, they need to be assisted. Allowances are part of welfare. Police are deployed in operation areas like West Pokot, Baringo, Samburu and North Eastern. However, junior officers have been heard complaining that they are not paid their allowances. When a policeman is deployed to the operation areas, he is 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."
}