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{
    "id": 892336,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/892336/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 243,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Isiolo North, KPP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Hassan Hulufo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13348,
        "legal_name": "Hassan Oda Hulufo",
        "slug": "hassan-oda-hulufo-2"
    },
    "content": "country will look like without village elders. The chiefs and sub-chiefs are not able to implement what they are required to do without the council of elders. In other countries like Ethiopia, which I am familiar with, it is the council of elders who manage a lot of the security issues in the villages. The roles they play have enabled the Government to control issues like radicalization of the youth. However, elders are not remunerated in Ethiopia; they have special recognition. So, in as much as we are thinking of how we can have our elders paid in recognition of the good work they do, we also need to think of other ways of recognising their good work. For example, we can give them awards such as the Head of State Commendation (HSC) together with special identification so that wherever they go, they can introduce themselves and be listened to and accorded respect. Where I come from, we only have a court of law at the county headquarters. Because of that, a lot of disputes are resolved by elders. This is in line with the provisions of the Constitution on alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Where there are marital disputes, before couples go Kadhi’s Court, the first port of call to seek reconciliation is the council of elders. In the context of northern Kenya where we have pastoralists, without the council of elders we would be having a lot of conflicts and the region would be ungovernable. Village elders resolve tribal conflict, including clan conflict. Most of the time when they do this work they risk their own lives. Some of them get injured. Others have even lost their lives. As and when they get injured in the process of volunteering to make sure we have a cohesive community, there is nothing that the Government does to take care of their medication. So, something like providing them with a medical cover would probably be of help to them. We can think of how best we can remunerate and motivate our council of elders. Thank you."
}