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{
    "id": 904421,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/904421/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 160,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "I rise to support this important Bill that has been brought to the House by our sister, Sen. Pareno, who is well vast in the whole issue of cohesion and peace building. This Bill has been well thought through as has been mentioned by my colleagues. However, I wonder if creating more commissions is the answer to do away with negative ethnicity or bring ourselves as one nation with one ethos, values and without the negative ethnicity that we experience. I keep wondering if we really look at the root cause of our problems, for example, the ethnic antagonism that we see around elections and other resource conflict. While this is important, we look forward to having a very strong Commission that would flex its muscle. However, we have seen the work of commissions in this country, what they have done and not done. This is such a noble idea. However, will we really achieve the objects and outcomes we seek as a nation with regards to having an inclusive society that has shared prosperity and values that will guide us whether or not there are policemen around which are basically the commissions that we are putting in place? Therefore, I hope that this is one of the ways in which we will look for deterrence. However, as a nation, we need to put in place other mechanisms that will do away with what it is that ails us with regards to our lack of Kenyanness where we retreat back to our ethnic, regional groups and tribes. Within the tribes, we do not stop there, we go down to the clans, sub clans, windows and the doors. So, it is a big cancer that we need to deal with. I know that people like Sen. Pareno have dealt and worked on these issues. Therefore, I hope that she does not stop at putting in place the Commission through this Bill, but looks at other underlying issues that drive and fuel negative ethnicity that we see. Sen. Pareno and I come from tribes that are proud of their heritage. We live it every day. We have such good things. Tribalism is such a good thing on a good day. It is not wrong for a person to subscribe to a certain tribe or a country to identify with a tribe. It is the negative aspect of it where the political class or may be, the social classes feel like they have a lot to gain by putting people together in a certain way, that drives these kinds of ethnicity. For example, the resources that they are trying to marshal or barricade, the power they are trying to amass or the influence they are trying to protect. The driver of this thing is the fact that there is so much poverty and lack of education in certain parts which fuels this. There are people who say that so-and-so has read for us the Constitution and therefore, whatever they say is the gospel or koranic truth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill. I look forward to its implementation and to the day that the institutions that exists, for instance, the public sector will work for us. I am seeing a proliferation of commissions that are filling the gap of something that should have been done by something that already exists. I know that Sen. Pareno has already seen the gap. I have no doubt about that. However, beyond that, I hope that we will make our institutions and values to work and raise the right families that will uphold the rule of law and look at themselves as good citizens of this country. 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."
}