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"speaker_name": "Mr. Keynan",
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"legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, before I go ahead to move this Motion, I would like to make a correction. This Report is a joint Report by the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security and the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations. So, the title as it appears on the Order Paper under Order No.9 is erroneous. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, that notwithstanding, I beg to move:- THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Joint Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security and the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations on its fact finding visits to Garissa, Daadab and Voi from 11th to 13th November 2009 as laid on the table of the House on Wednesday 6th October 2010. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of the greatest mistakes we have made as a country since Somalia plunged in a civil war is to assume that the Somalia crisis is a Kenyan phenomenon alone. This has cost us dearly. We know that since Somalia plunged into civil war in 1991, Kenya has received millions of Somali refugees. It has been the home of thousands of Somali refugees over the years. That notwithstanding, there are issues that we must address as a country. They are important in our own national interest. If you look at the trend of events, in particular in the region that borders Somalia, it is a fact that we have more than 1,000 kilometers of unmanned border with Somalia. Because of the lack of coherent foreign policy towards Somalia, over the years, the people of northern Kenya have been reduced to a punching bag whenever there is a security crisis or whenever there are issues that are not in tandem with the national interest. I want to expand on this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the issue of issuance of national identity cards, first of all I want to go on record that criminal responsibility is individual. There is no time a whole community will carry the baggage of being criminals in any aspect. One of the saddest things that have happened over the years is to use all historical activities like Somalia bandits and Somalia shiftas . You will hardly hear of a Kikuyu bandit or a Turkana bandit. Maybe, once in a while, they say Turkana bandits because we suffer the same stereotypes. These tags have been carried over the years, and we felt that, maybe, we would shed them off in 1991. You will appreciate that if there is one region that benefitted from the advent of multi-partyism, it is northern Kenya. During that time, we had the Districts and Provinces Act, the emergency laws and the Indemnity Act. Unfortunately to date, even in the era of the new Constitution, His Excellency the President has refused to assent to the repealing of the Indemnity Act. I take that as a serious relegation of the fundamental human rights which are clearly expounded in the current constitutional dispensation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, that notwithstanding, it is unfair to use a perceived hatred for particular regions or communities, to criminalize the identity of particular groups, tribes and also make a whole region a buffer zone or a no-go zone in the eyes of Kenyans and the international community. It is not the choice of the people of northern Kenya that they have more than 1,000 kilometres of unmanned border with Somalia. If you go from Thika to Garissa and to Dadaab, you will find a number of manned road blocks put there to collect money from would-be travelers. This is happening. I want to challenge my friend, Mr. Lumumba, to venture into that road and find out how many of those road blocks serve the security of the people of the Republic of Kenya. The crisis in Somalia has been commercialized. We must call a spade a spade. The crisis in Somalia has been commercialized in the region, even here in Kenya. I deal with a number of foreign policy issues. I can say here today without fear of any contradiction, that we, as a country, do not have any foreign policy towards Somalia. We have an ad hoc and crisis ridden foreign policy that is only used on the spur of the moment when there are issues to be addressed. As a country, is this the way we really want to operate? We want to benefit from the people of Somalia. It is unfortunate that they have chosen to remain in that state of lawlessness. There is nothing we can do other than to pray for them. Since they are our neighbours, what will we, as a country, do to see that there is peace in Somalia? I appreciate the fact that on a number of occasions, Kenya has hosted attempts to reconcile the different warring groups in Somalia. However, that has not been matched with real actions. On one hand, we reconcile them. But on the other hand, we act as a catalyst. This has not helped the people of Somalia. I want to plead to the two Principals that the Somali crisis is real. Yes, we have a legitimate Government in Mogadishu. However, that Government is fragile. The interest of that Government is just limited to a number of streets in Mogadishu. What we, as a neighbour, can do is to mobilize the international community, the United Nations, the European Union and the members of the Arab League and ensure that there is an internationally driven effort towards finding a lifetime solution to the crisis in Somalia. This ad hoc and âhide and seekâ approach in attempting to solve the crisis in Somalia is not going to help us. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate where you come from. Our borders are insecure. It is not only Dadaab, Migingo---"
}