HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 87350,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/87350/?format=api",
"text_counter": 259,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Ojode",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security",
"speaker": {
"id": 197,
"legal_name": "Joshua Orwa Ojode",
"slug": "joshua-ojode"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, police records indicate that between July, 2009 and November, 2009, at total of 103 incidents were reported. The attacks culminated to 88 people losing their lives and about 26,800 livestock were stolen. The following are some of the specific incidents which were recorded as the highest casualties. On 12th August, 2009, seven people were killed and 8,000 livestock stolen in Turkana. On 15th September, 2009, 35 people were killed in Samburu. On 1st October, 2009, 14 Toposa were killed in Turkana. On 15th November, 2009, 14 people were killed and 4,000 camels stolen in Isiolo, but were all recovered. We must also thank Government initiatives. When camels were stolen, security officers moved in and we recovered whatever had been stolen. But that came about as a result of our meeting with the leaders from that area. I want to congratulate them. I want to say thank you for supporting the Government initiatives. The participation of the Government is felt by anybody within those prone areas. The security personnel are on the ground. We have the Provincial Administration officers such as DCs, Dos, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs whose primary duty is to recover any stolen animals within those areas. With regard to Government response to the security challenge, my Ministry convened several meetings of Members of Parliament from the affected regions. One major workshop was conducted in Nairobi on 1st and 2nd October, 2009 in order to seek their views and enlist their support on the way forward. During one of the meetings held in Naivasha on 18th and 20th November, 2009 â my colleagues are here and they can vouch for me â we enlisted their support and commitment to the urgent need for a comprehensive disarmament. We agreed in principle that the only way forward is to disarm those who have illegal arms. I even went further to amend the Firearms Act which states that anybody found to be leasing his gun or rifle will be imprisoned for life. That was passed in this House. So, even if it is a police officer who is found leasing his gun for purposes of being used in cattle rustling, he or she will be imprisoned for life. The person to whom the gun is leased will also be imprisoned for life. If that is enforced, we will manage to reduce criminal activities by 70 per cent. When somebody who attacks you has a gun and you do not have one, you will surrender whatever you have. That is a thing of the past now. Lease your gun at your own risk. Give the Pokot your gun at your own risk. The Pokot or Turkana who have guns and they do not have licences, especially automatic rifles, risk being imprisoned for life. On 15th November, 2009 the Government mounted a security operation in upper Eastern Province and North Rift involving 2,479 security personnel. We have increased the number of security officers deployed within that region. We created additional administrative units and security posts in the affected areas. My colleague, hon. Munya, talked of creation of police stations. That is not a problem for us. The district security personnel sit and agree that they do not need a police post, but rather they need a police station. When a police station is created, we will put it in---"
}