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"id": 904434,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
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"legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
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"content": "Those are the things that we need to focus on, as a country. We need to build a Kenyan identity. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must take responsibility, as politicians, even if we, as individuals, have not done it. I personally have stood strong for „Siasa Safi‟ as my slogan, because I represent a county that is inhabited by all the 43 tribes. All the communities can be found here in Nairobi. There is no problem that affects Kikuyu that does not affect the Luo, Luhya or Kamba. There is no pothole that only affects the Luhya; lack of water that only affects the Kamba, or a garbage collection problem that only affects the Meru. We only have two communities in Nairobi; the rich and the poor. The same pain that a mother in Meru feels when she cannot feed her child, is the same pain that a mother in Kisumu feels. Similarly, the same joy that a father in Turkana feels when his child succeeds, is the same joy that a father in Mombasa feels. However, for the longest time, we have divided our people along ethnic lines for our selfish political, economic and personal ambition. Those are the things that must be addressed by the institutions that we create. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have a problem in setting up this institution in the manner opposed to what the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) is set up. The NCIC is a people‘s Commission, not one whose setting up is started by the national Government. It cannot and it should not be an appendage of the national Government. However, looking at how Sen. Pareno has designed it, I think that can be covered. It was supposed to be set up by parliamentary initiative by the representatives of the people. As I move to conclude, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that we have had corrupt officials. Kenyans feel that if an office is led by someone from their community, they will be served best. When you go to public offices today, you will hear people proudly trumpeting in their vernacular languages. I remember when the Inspector-General (IG) of Police was being vetted, I asked him to affirm Kenyans, because the only friends of the Committee who showed up were from his ethnicity. I told the IG of Police that he might not be tribal himself, but his people will come and put him under siege, by telling him that he must remember that charity begins at home. They will tell him that his secretary and driver must be Kamba, as we have seen in many different offices. I am glad that the IG of Police, Mr. Mutyambai – who I have a lot of respect for – has hit the ground running. He has showed, time and time again, that he is an IG of Police for all Kenyans. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, very few Senators can proudly say that the biggest qualification for their members of staff is not ethnicity. Why should I feel that I can only trust somebody from my community, yet we are trying to build a nation of all communities? Why is it that most of our house girls and other domestic workers are from our communities? Your bodyguards are from your communities, yet you say that tribalism is only when it is on State appointments. That is hypocrisy of the highest order. We, as legislators, must look deep into the issue of vernacular in public spaces, including in our television and radio stations. We fault Tanzania for many things economically, because they have not moved at the same pace that we have as an economy. However, in Tanzania, even in the depth of a village, if you try to speak in a 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."
}