HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 782513,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/782513/?format=api",
"text_counter": 380,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "differences in politics but build a united patriotic country. That is the call for our generation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have heard some people comment that Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. should focus on water in Makueni County and other counts of legislation. However, I agree with Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. completely that without the software, the hardware will make no sense whatsoever. Before 2007, we heralded ourselves in this country for many years as an island of peace and tranquility. We would point at our neighbours such as Uganda which had issues then, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda. We kept saying that Kenya stands tall as being an island of peace and tranquility within a sea of turmoil in the region. However, 2007 shocked the world but more than that, this country was even more shocked. What we thought was the fabric that holds us together, did not exist. What we thought was a common identity, did not exist. We were just one election away from total disintegration of the hardware that we had built over time. We can build the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and the rail which we saw being uprooted in Kibera in hours. We can build roads and hospitals, but if our people do not have a sense of identity or a common philosophy of Kenya and what Kenya means to them, then everything we are doing will be in vain. I support the proposed New Section 4B (1) which says: “Despite any other provision of this Act, during a public holiday, a person may as a sign of patriotism, display the National Flag, at any private residence or any place of work or business, provided that the display of the National Flag does not undermine the authority or reputation of the State.” The amendment to that is that anybody is allowed to fly the Kenyan flag, as big as possible, outside their house, offices and shops. We can also allow even our children to go to school with miniature flags in their bags. The flag in itself is not what will unite us, but the symbolism that it provides; that we are all under one cover as a country. Someone once said, and I have forgotten who it was, that a true flag cannot be designed; it is torn from the soul of the people. It is an expression of who we are. I am glad that my good friend, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., was quoting Tom Mboya, whom I consider one of the greatest politicians in this country. If you look at the history of Tom Mboya, he was a conflicted man. He was born in Central Province and went to school in Thika. He was always told him that he was not Luo enough, but at the age of 23 years when they were negotiating the Lyttleton Constitution, Lennox Boyd Settlement and up until Lancaster, when they would go to London--- While the late Jaramogi Odinga and Mzee Jomo Kenyatta would stay in dormitories, Tom Mboya would stay at the Piccadilly. Tom Mboya would be hosted by the John F. Kennedy in the United States of America (USA); he was a man of vision. It was good to hear words about what Kenya must win. Therefore, what we are doing is honouring the dream of our forefathers and those who went before us. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would say that deep down Kenyans are inherently patriotic. As I always say every Kenyan, no matter whether they are from Wote in 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."
}