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{
    "id": 893443,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/893443/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, sadly, we lost two pupils; one of class six and another of class seven two days ago. They were just shot in cold blood in school. Sometimes, violence continues to an extent that it seems normal. When you report to the police or the Office of the IG, they seem to say, “Oh! It is happening again?” This is because it seems so normal. I ask the Chair of the Committee, Sen. Sakaja, who has been acting on behalf of Senator Haji, to visit my county and familiarise himself with the problem of cattle rustling in West Pokot, Elgeyo-Marakwet and even Turkana and Samburu. This is a menace and Sen. (Prof.) Ekal will tell you about the same problem. I was watching a video where widows in Turkana at the border with Sudan are the ones who have guns to protect themselves. A documentary on the same was done by a local media house. That menace of cattle rustling has become terrible. There are too many widows and orphans. Now they have gone to kill children. Small children are dying in school because they want to frustrate education. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when IG Boinett came to office, we had 41 students at Tot secondary school. We worked with him and went there several times with the President and the Deputy President. Three weeks ago, we were there with the Deputy President. You will be shocked that a school that had 41 students now has 1,248. You can imagine what security can do. Those students who are in that school are from both Pokot; that is Baringo, Tiaty Constituency who are Pokots, and the Marakwet side. If the Government can put some effort towards dealing with insecurity in Kerio Valley, we will get most of our children to go to school. I agree totally with what Sen. Sakaja spoke about in so far extra-judicial killing is concerned. The National Police Service must be a service. It cannot be that the persons expected to protect citizens of the Republic are the ones who take people’s lives. The days of Kanga and Kwekwe squads and the like must come to an end. Police officers are expected to arrest criminals and charge them in courts of law. It is sad that so many young people in this city and many parts of the country are being killed on the spot. That is unfortunate and sad because we are a country that prides itself as a beacon of hope. We always say that we are a country that believes in the rule of law. However, we have persons who are in the National Police Service that believe they are the law, the police, the prosecutor, the investigator, the judge, the jury and everything in one. We must bring that culture to an end. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I believe Mr. Mutyambai should pick that one. If there is something that IG Boinett tried to do but never succeeded, it is in that area. That is an area he can start from and get rid of the mentality in the National Police Service that life can be taken without any reason. Not even the reason of safety is good enough - that the person was trying to protect themselves. Finally, as citizens in this great Republic, we support public officers when they are doing their job and we criticize them when they are not doing it. Many of my colleagues sitting on the opposite side criticized Mr. Boinett several times during the days of protests that happened across this country related to the last general elections. They were right because we only make Government better if you can criticise it and make institutions better if you can tell them the truth. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}