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"id": 84269,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/84269/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. ole Lankas",
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"speaker": {
"id": 65,
"legal_name": "Lankas ole Nkoidila",
"slug": "lankas-nkoidila"
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"content": "like it or not, we will continue to be neighbours with Somalia. So, we cannot wish away the problems that are associated with our borders. Instead, we need to confront them head-on. If the Government can deny the existence of some of the problems in those territories, we will not solve the problems that we are trying to address in this country, including development in that area. So, I think the issue of security is paramount. The Report has captured a few issues that are related to recent events, especially with the recent allegations of recruitment of our youths. But what is more shocking is that, that recruitment is done within our territory. Our own people are alleged to be involved but the Government is burying its head in the sand. So, from this Report, the Government needs to face this problem head-on, instead of trying to run away from it. If there is any action that is going to be taken, let the Government take appropriate action instead of denying it. I think this is a very important issue that we all need to confront and not run away from. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are all Kenyans. In our previous capacities, some of us served in certain border areas. Lamu is one border area where we border Somalia. I served in Kiunga and we had a lot of problems of that nature. Our youths used to be tempted because of poverty levels in this country. Those are some of the temptations that we are talking about. Unless the Government comes out and faces the reality of our times, we will have a long way to go. So, as I was saying, we cannot run away from that problem. Instead, we should face it head-on. We cannot run away from our neighbours because they will continue to be our neighbours, whether we like it or not. Instead, we should look for lasting solutions; work with other partners who are interested in addressing those issues which are very critical to our region. The other issue which I want to capture is about the registration of persons in this country. It has been a thorn in the flesh of some communities in this country, especially the Somali. They are spread all over the country. They are not only concentrated in northern Kenya. They are all over, including our districts. Because of that, an impression has been created in our systems that anybody who is a Somali must be vetted first before he or she is issued with the relevant documents. I think that is putting us in a very awkward position. In fact, I had a very ugly experience in my constituency the other day where the Somalis born there were denied registration papers. This happened to an extent that some students going to university almost missed registration because of the long red tape in the Government. I used to say that registration of persons in this country is another cash cow. For some innocent people, whether you are a Somali or a Maasai from Tanzania, in order to get registration you have to part with some amount of money. This is the truth, whether we like it or not. Why can the Government not put in place mechanisms to address the Somali issue once and for all as far as registration of persons is concerned? As much as we have border areas, sometime genuine Kenya citizens are harassed unnecessarily. At this time in our history, we need to address some of these issues, and say there are genuine people. But because of the red tape and corruption that is so rampant in this country, everybody wants to take advantage of their position, and unless you part with something you will not be registered. We have witnessed some of these things happening in our country. The other issue that I wanted to touch on is that of the Government and development in some of these areas. When you see youth being recruited to join foreign militias, we must face the truth that poverty is a problem in this country, especially in some of the areas we are talking about. So, temptation can make these"
}