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{
    "id": 963217,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/963217/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 149,
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    "content": "generosity of the President and his friends, Joe Kadenge would have been buried as a pauper. Joe Kadenge lived in a city council house in Madaraka Estate all his life even with the fame that he brought to this country. There is a young man from Nandi by the name, Henry Rono, who broke five world records in athletics in two months yet he now washes cars in the USA. He lives as a pauper in a foreign land and so do many other people. Some of the people who fought for the Independence of this country died as paupers. The late Paul Ngei died a destitute after doing so much for this country. We have great men like George Nthenge, Martin Shikuku and others who did so much for this country. Your name being recognized and written in a Hall of Fame is not enough because it can never help you. I would like to invite colleagues to read a book by Ferdinand Oyono from Cameroon, the book is called The Old Man and the Medal. You may have read in your literature, if you studied it, where an old man with a distinguished service in public service was conferred a medal and he retired. He went to his village. Every morning he would put on the medal and walk to the market to see if anybody recognized him or appreciated it. Nobody did. He later started asking questions: What is the value of this medal? What do l do with it? It did not help him put food on his table. It could not give him healthcare or confer on him any rights or privileges. It was meaningless to him. This is what his Bill is creating. Ferdinand Oyono’s old man was called Mzee Meka. He could go and stand in the market, upright with the medal on the chest and nobody noticed and appreciated it. That is what we are trying to create here. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would want Sen. Fatuma who moved the Bill to restructure it and confer some benefits to those who get these medals. In some cities, senior citizens who are recognized are given some very simple things such as parking rights where they can drive into the city centre and park without paying parking fees. When they go to places where they are queuing for services, that honour alone gives them the liberty to be served first before anybody else. They get some vouchers for food rations to go and pick some food from stores to feed themselves and their family. They can be subsided or get free National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) cards for medical care and many other things. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is no value in being given a medal or being written in a Hall of Fame the way this Bill is proposing. It is proposing that you just go to the county, people bring your name, it is accepted and it is written in a Hall of Fame. There you are. There is even no provision for conferment of that order of being in the Hall of Fame. I would like to see a Bill that, not only recognizes talent and achievements, but also rewards talent and achievements. I would like to see a situation, for example, if you are a distinguished farmer and you are interred in the Hall of Fame, as long as you are still living and you are still farming, you are entitled to some subsidy beyond other farmers. They can even turn your farm into an example farm where they do carry out some research for people to come and see what you are doing and why you have entered the Hall of Fame. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, just giving people titles that mean nothing does not help the society. We live in a society where materialism has overrun everybody. Distinguished 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."
}