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{
    "id": 782523,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/782523/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 390,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "As we fight Al-Shabab, terror and violent extremism, is it possible for a divided nation to fight an external aggressor? It is impossible. The lack of a Kenyan identity or a feeling of being Kenyan is what makes somebody at the border to take Kshs100,000 and allow somebody who is not supposed to be in this country to get in. The lack of patriotism is what allows policemen at a roadblock to turn a blind eye at a vehicle which he knows it will cause havoc down the road. It is just lack of patriotism. We need to create a project, fellow Senators, especially my colleague, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., where we will deliberately look at the activities and symbols that we can create which we can call Ukenya or Kenyanesse within our society that will make someone to say that I cannot do this because it is not Kenyan to do that. I will not take a bribe because it is not Kenyan to take a bribe. The lack of that identity is what has led us into the two big ills that bedevil this country; tribalism and corruption. Naturally, without a higher identity, people move to the lowest common denominator. That is why when it is not tribe it becomes clan issues because that is the least common denominator. If you tell people to move from ethnicity, you must then provide a higher ideal. To me, this move is not just about the flag. The flag is amazing and we must fly it, but it is what we do beyond that. We will allow Kenyans to fly the flags, but we need to encourage them to fly those flags. We need to encourage our children to learn the National Anthem and we need to sing it. We used to recite the Loyalty Pledge, but it was a KANU pledge. Is it still in the Constitution? It was pledging loyalty to the President at that time. We need to have a pledge that is not about an individual, but rather about the ideals of this country. I am glad that patriotism is, indeed, in the National Values and Principles of Governance in Article 10(2)(a) of the Constitution, it is the first thing that is mentioned. It states:- “Patriotism, national unity, sharing and devolution of power, the rule of law, democracy and participation of the people.”"
}