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{
    "id": 883007,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/883007/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 247,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dadaab, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mohamed Duale",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1377,
        "legal_name": "Mohamed Dahir Duale",
        "slug": "mohamed-dahir-duale"
    },
    "content": "The continued closure of the Kenya-Somalia border has affected this country adversely. I will give you an example. I hail from Garissa County, Dadaab Sub-county, which borders Somalia directly. Just like my colleagues from Ijara, Fafi, Wajir South and other constituencies bordering Somalia along the four counties - that is Garissa, Wajir, Mandera and Lamu - those counties have suffered because the border between Kenya and Somalia is officially closed. Even though Somalia has been lacking a central government for a long time, there are people who live on both sides of the border thriving on trade. The results of the closure of the border for the last 10 years has been mass migration of the population of those counties to other parts of Kenya. This has happened to the extent that we have a nature upheld vacuum. People from the other side are filling those areas. Even many Kenyans have sometimes complained that the Somalia community is taking over businesses in their areas. So, this is a creation of the State. Basically, we are putting up walls like in Gaza Strip, where people have to look for a way out. The only difference is that we have somewhere to go in this country. The best solution for this issue is to open the border, allow trade, collect revenue and fight Al Shabaab ideologically. It will not help by putting up a wall. So far, I have heard that billions have been spent yet, the person who moved the Report was not very sure whether he agreed with the content of the Report. The same applied to the Seconder. The Report is not very clear. I cannot understand how our security managers in this country cannot advise our Government on what to do. We have leaders from that area. We have been affected by Al Shabaab more than any other community in this country. In Garissa County, 148 Kenyans were massacred. In Lamu County, you can remember what happened at Mpeketoni. In Mandera, you know the bus incident where over 60 people were massacred and also the quarry incident. We have had serious problems with teachers and other civil servants. Our Government has never called for the involvement of the leaders from that area in terms of addressing the issue of Al Shabaab, which I said is an ideology. I am sure many Kenyans know that Al Shabaab people have no tribe. Those who attacked us at Dusit were Kenyans from other places. Similarly, it is known everywhere in the world, whether in United States of America (USA) or Europe, that Al Shabaab is an ideology. For us to fight Al Shabaab, we need to change our strategy and fight them ideologically. It will not make any sense to do extra judicial killings and disappearances like what has been happening in our areas. We always say that illegality cannot be fought with illegality. You must use the laws of this country to fight those criminal elements. If you kidnap people, they disappear and die, this will only create more militancy among the people. I believe that Somalia should not be looked at from security lens. We should look at it as a neighbouring African state because we have been gracious enough to host thousands of refugees for close to 30 years. We have invested in that country. We have more than 5,000 men The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}