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{
    "id": 794164,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/794164/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 882,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wamunyinyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 291,
        "legal_name": "Athanas Misiko Wafula Wamunyinyi",
        "slug": "athanas-wamunyinyi"
    },
    "content": "establishment of the coast guard in our country are. I would like, for purposes of my contribution, to re-state and emphasise the importance of the Kenya Coast Guard Service Bill. This Bill seeks to provide for the establishment, functions, discipline, organisation and administration of the Kenya Coast Guard Service and for connected matters. It shall have the mandate of law enforcement and security in Kenya’s internal and territorial waters. It is important for all of us to note that law enforcement and security in Kenya’s internal and territorial water is such an important aspect of our security. We have a coastline which we are all aware of. We have inland lakes and colleagues contributing have made reference to all of them, that is, Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana and the Indian Ocean in Mombasa. Unless there is a proper arrangement and efficient way to manage the security in these areas, it becomes very difficult for the country… In fact, one of the things which are mentioned in the Bill is the management of the aqua culture and fish management. People steal fish every day in our waters, including Lake Victoria. The dispute over Migingo Island is about fish. Our fish is deliberately stolen every day. At the coast in Mombasa, sailors come from as far as Portugal and Spain to the East African coast to steal fish and other sea food. They get away with it because there has not been a specific unit assigned with the duty to prevent theft of our resources. So, this Bill is very timely because currently we are expected to grow our economy and help our people secure the waters of our country and even prevent invasion by terrorists. Terrorists come in many ways. We have heard the case of pirates operating in the deep seas. They do their planning on land, enter the waters along the coast line, commit crime and eventually come back to land. So, if you have an organised unit such as the one that is being proposed… We have learnt from countries with long established coast guards that they have been very successful in the management of the challenges we are facing as a country. So, this is not only going to establish a unit that will be responsible for the management of the waters, but it has a wide range of functions which will go a long way in benefitting the country at large. The Bill also provides for the enforcement of maritime security and safety. It also addresses the issue of pollution control and sanitation measures. It provides for prosecution of maritime offenders. We have had challenges in the recent past where pirates were arrested in deep waters and no country was willing to prosecute them. No country was ready to receive those pirates who were arrested in the waters, but Kenya took the risk. We did not have adequate law and eventually many cases were lost because we did not have proper law on prosecution and enforcement of offenses committed along that line. So, this is going to ensure that we have a law that clearly provides for the way in which we will manage the maritime offenders. It shall also be responsible for the port and coastal security. The military’s mandate is clearly provided in the Constitution and the Act. However, the military, given the circumstances and how it operates, it is very difficult to undertake an internal security affair. This is because; deployment of the military is different. One has to determine the circumstances under which they could be deployed in the country to areas such as Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana. However, for the coast guard, it will be a unit responsible for management of security within these areas and so it will be very easy. It will be under the command of the Director-General (DG) and the men on the ground will ensure that the functions are undertaken uninterrupted and without difficulty. The proposed law also provides for protection of maritime resources, including fisheries. Those are some of the important functions which are clearly provided in the Bill. Human trafficking has been a matter that has been on the increase and one of serious interest The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}