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{
    "id": 800245,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/800245/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 65,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "June 5, 2018 SENATE DEBATES 17 Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to add my voice to this Motion. Before I go far, I would like to commend Sen. Kihika for bringing this catastrophe to the Floor of the House. It is important for the Senate to know what is happening on the ground. The whole nation is watching to see what exactly we will do about it. Are we going to intervene? We are the voice of the people and Sen. Kihika has spoken on behalf of her people. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I commend the idea of coming up with a select Committee to address this issue. This is important because it will investigate whether the catastrophe was manmade or divine. When there is a disaster, there is usually a lot of shock. There is need to investigate so that justice is not delayed, especially for the families that were affected. When I look at this tragedy, quite a number of people were affected; 50 people died. We cannot, therefore, take it for granted because their families are hurting out there. We need to stand with these families and ensure that we help them to heal. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is also need for the Committee to investigate what exactly the WARMA is doing as a regulatory body. Did it take the right measures to ensure that Mr. Patel got the right papers? It has also come out clearly that Mr. Patel also had philanthropic activities that helped the community. So, there is need for this select Committee to investigate so that justice is not flouted in any way or delayed. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when it comes to compensation of the affected people, the bomb blast incident in the American Embassy is very clear because the families were compensated. The children of those who died in the tragedy were taken to school. If you make a follow up, you will find that these children now earn a living and they have been sponsored to good schools. So, the gap that was left when their parents died in this tragedy was filled. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there is need for the team to ensure that the gap that is left by the victims is filled. The children of those families need to have an education; they need to also benefit from the finer details in life. There is also need for psychological counseling for the families, especially considering that there are families which lost everything they owned. This incident happened around 8.30 p.m. at night. It took the villagers unawares and there was no way anybody could escape from it. Nobody expected their houses to be brought down or that they would lose their properties. Therefore, in a twinkle of an eye, these families were affected. Some of them did not wake up, but those who were lucky enough to survive woke up and found that they had no houses, cattle or property that they had worked so hard to get. By the time someone has established his or her family or home, they have spent a lifetime on it. These people woke up to find out that their homes and cattle were all gone. Therefore, this House should do something to ensure that there is compensation and psychological counseling for these families. This is because the victims of this tragedy will never be the same again and they cannot pick up the pieces. There is need for this team to investigate and I suggest that the report that comes from this team should not be taken for granted. This is because we want to arrest a situation like this from happening in the future. There are instances where reports are brought to the Floor of the House but 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."
}