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"id": 87278,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/87278/?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",
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"content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also true that what we are witnessing in some of these areas; why there is disharmony amongst communities in some of these areas â Samburu East and Isiolo North and the larger pastoral areas â is because of poverty. So, we are saying that unless the Government deliberately commits funds to these areas to improve development in some of these areas, we will continue witnessing some of these problems happening because there are a lot of idle youth in these areas; people who have nothing to do! But you will find the Government, contrary to this, committing most of its funds to urban centres, leaving some of these far-flung areas to continue languishing in poverty. As I said, poverty is one of the main causes for our young people to continue engaging in some of these retrogressive practices like cattle rustling. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, infrastructure is an issue. In the Office of the President, there is one very crucial department, which is the Development Fund because it is in charge of security. There is always a fund to address the issue of infrastructure especially security roads. We have actually always committed a lot of money to the Office of the President with the hope that these areas are going to be given priority. However, on the contrary, we are not seeing any much development taking place in these areas. We do not see security roads being addressed and yet there is a lot of money which is always committed to this Ministry. The Office of the President should go out of its way to make sure that it really commits funds to these areas. The officers who are posted to these areas, the DCs, the OCPDs and the rest, have no facilitation at all. They are demoralized. The âdonât careâ attitude sets in. That is why we find that some of these issues continue unabated. Whenever they make statements here, they say that âwe have sent the police to these areas and they are pursuing the rustlers.â These are the common clichĂŠs that we are used to hearing every now and then. So, I think it is time that we must rise to the occasion and really walk the talk. We do not understand why, at this time in the history of this country, the Government cannot reduce or contain the issue of cattle rustling which is the main problem between the pastoralist communities in these areas. They form more than half of this country but their issues are never given the seriousness that they deserve. We are saying that the Government should come out very clearly and give priority to these areas in terms of development and being serious in addressing the insecurity that is so rampant in these areas because they are not really taking these areas very seriously. It is like the value for live in this country depends on where you come from because every day, we read in the newspapers, it is all over and it is true that in these pastoral areas, people die every month out of some these incidences but they are never taken seriously. It is just like another animal has died. It is not like a human being who has died. So it is time that the Government must put its foot down and try to address the issues of insecurity in these areas, moreso, these two communities in the two areas; Samburu East and Isiolo North. These people have lived together for all these years but because of these incidences, you find these communities drawing apart just because of the inability of the Government to address the core issues why they are almost at loggerheads all the time. So we are addressing these issues and we are saying that it is time the Government should act and act without any partiality. Politics aside, it has been said that some of the conflicts we are witnessing in these areas are because politicians contribute. However, if the Government were to act, all these can be brought on board. If it is true that some politicians are helping or abetting these crimes, why is the Government hesitant in taking action? But because we are playing politics, the issue of marginalization is still continuing in this country. That is why we are saying it is time that we must act now. So I think to sum it up, tourism is one of the main economic activities in these areas. It is a very sensitive sector. So unless the Government acts very strongly, these are some of the sectors which are threatened by this constant and continuous wrangling amongst our communities. The role of our leaders, especially the Provincial Administration, is in question because the âdonât careâ attitude is there. They post people there who are not committed to duty, they go there to pass their time---"
}