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{
    "id": 904355,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/904355/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 94,
    "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, I would like to join Sen. Wetangula and those who have spoken before me in sending a message of condolence to the family of Hon. Fredrick Oduya Oprong‘‘, who served this country as a Member of Parliament and an assistant minister. I did not meet him but I have listened to the testimony shared by Sen. Wetangula, Sen. Orengo, Sen, Khaniri, the Senator for Embu County and the people who served with Hon. Oprong‘‘. As the Bible says in the book of Hebrews, that is a cloud of witnesses that witnessed the heroic acts and leadership of Hon. Oprong‘‘. Therefore, on behalf of the Senate, the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County, my family and I, I send my condolences to his family. One of the touching attributes of Hon. Oprong‘‘ that we have been told was his forthrightness and ability to speak the truth on issues that were affecting the people of this country. We have been told that he would speak the truth even if what he said went contrary to his party‘s position or what one would call collective responsibility. Unfortunately, we do not tell people the truth when they are alive. Hon. Oprong‘‘ must have been viewed as a rebel or someone who was not loyal to KANU Government at that time and I am sure that Sen. Orengo and Sen. Wetangula can prove that. Unfortunately, some of us go through the same things. If one, who is viewed to be in the party that is in power, raises an issue against a Cabinet Secretary because they are not doing their work, they will always be asked to leave the Government. Those people do not ask the Cabinet Secretary to leave the Government. It is easier to chase a Cabinet Secretary than a leader who was elected to speak on behalf of his people. The dictatorship behaviour and mannerism that is being used to stop leaders from carrying out their responsibilities on behalf of the people who elected them should cease. Some of us would love to be remembered as the people who spoke forthrightly to the people we stayed with and the people we served with, in or outside this House for that is a virtue. We talk about the welfare of leaders because of the burden that they carry on behalf of the people. The newspapers write stories about leaders wanting to enrich themselves just to appreciate the leader when he dies. Some people go to the extent of saying that the leader was good because he attended harambees . That is just pretence and they do so because they do not want to offend the dead. We must have a standard mechanism of appreciating and protecting those who serve this country and that should not just apply to political leaders. We should also protect and appreciate the soldiers who serve this country diligently and the civil servants who give everything to this nation. Civil servants earn meagre salaries yet they offer services to the people of Kenya. People who sacrifice for this country must be given the respect they deserve. I pass my condolences and wish the family God‘s grace at this time of grief."
}