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{
    "id": 962313,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/962313/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 540,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kasanga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13185,
        "legal_name": "Sylvia Mueni Kasanga",
        "slug": "sylvia-mueni-kasanga"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, this Motion was prepared by Sen. Khaniri, who is away. I want to first congratulate him for taking this matter to heart. He brought a Petition on behalf of True North, an organisation that fights for the rights of the disciplined forces and mental wellness. True North is championed by Major (Rtd.) Mukiri, who had personal challenges after serving in the disciplined forces. I commend the passion that he has for this matter, and I also want to thank him for bringing the matter to the attention of the Senate and Kenyans. Madam Temporary Speaker, this House passed the Mental Health (Amendment) Bill 2018, because we appreciated that mental illness is now a national disaster. That Bill did not canvass the matters of disciplined forces, because the Committee on Health felt that the matter should be handled in a different legislation. It is good that Sen. Khaniri is now asking the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to look into it. It is possible for us to have a legislative framework at the end of this Motion, to deal with the mental wellness of our disciplined forces. Madam Temporary Speaker, none of us can authoritatively speak or give a testimony on what our men and women who fight for the peace of this country go through. Those men and women do not know if they are going to wake up tomorrow or the day after; and they do not know if they will be able to see their spouse, children, parents and siblings again. It is only those men and women who fight for us who can give a true testament of what their life is like. The best that we know is based on what we see in the movies, and that is where we can relate with the kind of impact and trauma that they go through when they are in the line of fire. Unfortunately, a video once went round on social media showing our men and women being attacked in Somalia by the Al-Shabaab, and I was unable to comment when I saw it. We cannot feel what they go through, yet we have sent them out there to protect our borders. They are the same people we call upon when we have terrorist attacks within the country. However, when they are done with their service, we send them home without thinking of how they will be assimilated back into their families. 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."
}