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"id": 79796,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ethuro",
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"legal_name": "Ekwee David Ethuro",
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"content": "Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in moving this Motion, first and foremost, I want to thank the House because this Motion is sponsored by the Amani Forum membership who have taken upon themselves on behalf of this House to give the face of Parliament in terms of handling the issues of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). This Parliament is fully aware that we started our new political career in very trying and terrible times. The Coalition Government came at the start of the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, which this House passed in 2008. In the agreements of the Principles of Partnership of the Coalition Government, it is recognized that with this agreement and I quote the Schedule, âWe are stepping forward together as political leaders to overcome the current crisis and to set the country on a new path. As partners in a Coalition Government, we commit ourselves to work together in good faith as good partners through constant consultations and willingness to compromise.â Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, another paragraph reads:- âTo resolve the political crisis and the spirit of the Coalition and partnership, we have agreed to enact the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, 2008, whose provisions have been agreed upon entirely by the parties.â Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, one of the agreements that was considered is what came to be known as âAgenda Five â Long Term Solutions.â We have realized â and I want to thank each and every one of us who has played a role in this country â that one achievement of the Accord, when it was signed, was cessation of hostilities. That one we did. We also went ahead to form a Government of National Coalition in April, 2008, and appointed the positions of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers. That one we did! We have also recently promulgated a new Constitution, giving this country a new breath of life, a new excitement and optimism. As we speak now, this country is tackling corruption in a way that has never been witnessed before. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, again, we are very grateful to each and every person who has contributed to the realization of the long term solutions. But the situation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remains blight on our political leadership. The situation of IDPs in the country remains a concern to hon. Members of Parliament. It is one of those statements we seem to be making quite loudly; that we have forgotten the people who brought us to power; we have forgotten the people who suffered for the consequences of us pursuing leadership positions. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Motion is intended to ensure that, first and foremost, the IDPs are settled wherever they are; that our people cannot continue living in camps as if we do not have a stable country, a country that is democratic and which operates on the basis of the rule of law and order. So, that is the first job that we want to realize. We also want to ensure that Government promises and commitments, because all of us are fully aware that every time the Minister of State for Special Programmes in particular â and I can see my sister, the former Minister of State for Special Programmes here â goes round the country, she makes pronouncements that IDPs will be resettled by a particular time. Unfortunately, like all kinds of things in the Government, those commitments do not seem to come to a conclusion. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, this Select Committee will work with the Minister of State for Special Programmes to ensure that there is a clear-cut time frame in which the IDPs are resettled once and for all. This is because some of the issues we are talking about are issues for which money has been released by the Government to resettle the IDPsâ about Kshs3 billion â through the Ministry of Lands. We are talking about IDPs who have been receiving rations, but those rations are inconsistent and they are being misused! We cannot be planning for another election in 2012 with a new Constitution when the issue of IDPs has not been settled. I want to believe that the Minister has made a commitment that come December, 2010, all IDPs will be resettled. We want to welcome that. We want to appreciate it and we want to support it. But from experience, unless this Committee is formed to ensure that we interrogate the Government on a regular basis; to ensure that we bring the Government to account on their promises and actions, even that promise of resettling the IDPs by December, 2010, will remain a pipe dream. It will remain a pronouncement that will not be honored by the Government. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, one other issue that we want to realize with this Motion is for the country to realize that Parliament, unlike the Government, has not abandoned the IDPs. That Parliament, as an institution that represents them, Parliament as an institution that has oversight over the Government cannot just ignore a situation like this one. So, after the resettlement, we would like, as part of the national framework to ensure that the effects of the national cohesion and integration are felt; to ensure that there are standard procedures and practices. We are not praying that this will happen; we are actually praying that it should not happen again and the only way to ensure that is when you have made provisions to ensure that it cannot happen. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, you remember that even after the First World War, the UN committed itself and said ânever again.â After the Second World War, they said again ânever again.â After the Rwandan genocide, the world said again ânever again to genocide.â But these things keep on happening. We want to acknowledge that the problem of the IDPs may be this. This is why we have governments in place. This is why we have institutions like Parliament in place. There is no task that we should consider bigger than the responsibilities that Kenyans have given us. We must rise to the occasion as Parliament. We must look at our priorities because it is our consideration that part of the problem of not resettling IDPs in good time is corruption. That even when the Government has set aside money, there are people who are not using that money properly and we know that already there are cases in court. The second issue that we have considered that is affecting the resettlement of IDPs is the fact that there are turf wars being played out by the major actors in the Government on who is responsible for what in terms of the Ministry of Lands, in terms of Special Programmes and also in terms of the Office of the President. It will only take a Committee of Parliament to ensure that these various organs of Government can be brought together and straightened for the sake of the people who are suffering and who should not continue suffering. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I also want to submit that I do not believe that money is the problem in resettling of IDPs. We seem to have enough money to think of relocating the Office of the President â billions of money! We seem to have money to continue the construction of the house of the Vice President. We seem to have money and we have actually expended in purchasing and rehabilitation of the office space for the Prime Minister. I have no quarrel with all these initiatives for they are good. But in a situation where people are living in camps, what will be your priority? We would like the Government, from the same resource envelope, to reallocate resources according to the urgent and desperate need of the people who are living as IDPs. This country has acquired a new status; this country is a regional leader in the East and Central Africa block. In fact, at the rate at which we are moving as a nation, we are going to be the leaders of Africa and even the leaders of the world. There is no reason - I am convinced - why we cannot sort out this problem once and for all. We believe that once we have this Committee in place examining the role of each player, looking at the legislation with a possibility of even coming with a draft Bill, this particular matter will be resolved once and for all so that our people can be able to be resettled properly. We will also be working with other Committees of the House. I want to recognise the contribution made by the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, headed by hon. Sofia Abdi, which had already visited places like Mai Mahiu, Gilgil and Kurbanyat on 3rd and 4th May, 2010. It is some of these insights which are really making us say: âMaybe, we need to prioritise even the time of Parliament. Maybe, we must give priority to the IDP issueâ."
}