{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=270","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=268","results":[{"id":2681,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2681/?format=json","text_counter":372,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"The Chair uses his own discretion to give you three more minutes. Proceed!"},{"id":2682,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2682/?format=json","text_counter":373,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Wetangula","speaker_title":"The Minister for Foreign Affairs","speaker":{"id":210,"legal_name":"Moses Masika Wetangula","slug":"moses-wetangula"},"content":" Thank you Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. So, when you look at the profile that we have and we already have a commitment from the international community; the EU, the USA, they have money in the basket. Last September, Turkey, a very close friend of this region, on the floor of the UN, put in the Somalia basket US$300 million that is waiting to come into Somalia to stabilize those structures. Azerbaijan, a Muslim State, that is awash with oil – it is one of the major oil producers - put on the floor of the UN, in the basket of Somalia US$350 million available to come and help stabilize the State of Somalia. It is now up to us. Like we have said over and over again, Kenya is the superpower of this region. Kenya is the economic powerhouse of this region. We must also take the lead. We must also participate in what is happening to stabilize our region because we have a vested interest. With peace, Kenya will prosper even more. Without peace, Kenya will suffer like we have been suffering. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this new dispensation, I laud the Minister of State for Defence. In the past, one could sit in an executive office and declare that troops are going to Somalia. It is now important that this House made up of the representatives of the people of Kenya must have a say, must know and must approve what we are doing with our boys and girls in the Army. I believe that what we are doing today will go a long way in helping Somalia. Lastly, I want to inform Parliament that tomorrow, the Secretary-General of the UN is coming to Kenya. He will be in Kenya for two days. He is also going to visit your constituency, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. He will go there, on Friday to visit the Daadab camp. I want to urge you to be there so that you can also be able to agitate for the interest of the host community. We have told the UN that it is not good enough to bring money and facilities to refugees when the host communities are yawning outside the camps. They must also be given food. They must be given security. They must be given facilities. They must be given education. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is something that I am going to invite you and other Members of Parliament from the area, when we have a meeting with the Secretary- General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, to join me in agitating and requesting for issues that also support our people. As a host country, we have done so much. It is only important that everybody else joins in, first to help our people but, more importantly, to liberate the areas and move in peacekeepers so that our brother and sisters from Somalia can move back home. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, and hon. Members, imagine there are Somalis who are now 20 years old who were born in those camps, who do not know what a home is or what peace is or how to sleep in peace is. It is our duty as human beings, neighbours and leaders to assist our brothers to go and live like all other nationals of other countries. Nothing lasts forever. I have no doubt that Somalia problems will not last forever. If we have the will, the way will be there. If the way will be there, we will achieve success in normalizing Somalia. Thank you so much. I support."},{"id":2683,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2683/?format=json","text_counter":374,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this Motion very strongly. Allow me to use this time to pay my tribute to those soldiers who have so far paid the highest price, and those who have had all manner of casualties. Allow me to remember that in my family, Maj. Ong’ayo lost his life in a peace keeping force in Yugoslavia. Also allow me to remember that Pvt. Evans Mutoro was the first soldier to be declared missing in action. Mr. Minister, we still hope that you will one day tell us that you have found him in captivity and if, by haven stance, he lost his life, you give us his body to bring him back home. We care. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, when I look at this Motion, it reminds me of the proverbial story of the acres of diamonds where a man sold his land because he could not grow anything on it. The other man who came in quickly discovered that he had bought land which could not geminate crops, but had acres of diamond. That our soldiers have demonstrated this high degree of discipline--- There has been no rape and harassment of Somalia women and girls. It means that in our own soldiers, we have been sitting on acres of diamonds. Why did we not use them in 2008 to stop and prevent the Post- Election Violence (PEV)? Whoever should have given that command but did not, it should prick his conscience. Allow me to assure the Minister that even if he had come today with an improved version of this Motion, we would not only have given him our okay, but if he had also asked us to vote him more money, we would definitely have done it for him because security is expensive. Allow me also to congratulate Mr. Wetangula and Mr. Haji for the exemplary role they have played during this engagement. I should go ahead and tell my brother Wetangula that he has done so well, but he should not be blowing hot and sometimes cold. You know, if it was a question of a report card when you are coming back home to Kakamega in the capital, you would have been given an excellent for what you have done in Somalia. But, definitely, for what you have done in Sudan, you would have been given a very poor score."},{"id":2684,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2684/?format=json","text_counter":375,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Order, Dr. Khalwale!"},{"id":2685,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2685/?format=json","text_counter":376,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"I am keeping order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."},{"id":2686,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2686/?format=json","text_counter":377,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Deputy Speaker","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Proceed!"},{"id":2687,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2687/?format=json","text_counter":378,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Dr. Khalwale","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":170,"legal_name":"Bonny Khalwale","slug":"bonny-khalwale"},"content":"Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say and say it here that the Chair was worried about what is our exit strategy? Indeed, to my mind, this is the exit strategy. We are exiting now, but exiting in an organized manner. Obviously, we are going to deploy fewer troops now that the international community has come in. Obviously, in our exit strategy, we are going to use less money that we would have used if the other people had not come in. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is my hope that the cost of doing that engagement will not be shrouded in secrecy. The Minister will have the courage to quietly - not in public - come before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and account for every cent that he is spending in that particular engagement. I want to end by thanking my colleagues with whom, one and a half months ago, we held a huge national rally in Nakuru. We told the people that the problem we were facing was not a Kenyan problem. It was, first and foremost, an American problem. That is because Al Shaabab, we are told, is a branch of the Al Queida. Therefore, hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs, you must tell the American Government that they have a responsibility to contribute more than they might be doing in that particular engagement, because we are doing their dirty work. This is not a laughing matter because as we can remember, as the Rwandese killed each other in the infamous genocide, America and the UN just sat there and did nothing. In fact, they pulled out and the few international forces, which were in Kigali, were told not to engage. Thank God that Kenya has the same shared DNA with Somalia because of the Somalis we have in Kenya and those that are in Somalia. This is has been the DNA that has given us leadership. We support the Government and support it strongly. I support this Motion."},{"id":2688,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2688/?format=json","text_counter":379,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Njuguna","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":20,"legal_name":"Peter Njuguna Gitau","slug":"peter-gitau"},"content":"Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. Let me start by thanking the doctors who are now on strike because their call needs to be answered by the Government because our people are suffering. Their call needs to be heeded by the Government. With regard to this Motion, let me start by saying that the two Ministers have done Kenya proud. They have visited the critical centres to present our case. They have visited the Headquarters of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD). The IGAD has already endorsed our commitment to bring liberation to Somalia. You also remember the commitment given to the Kenyan Government by the African Union (AU). They even conducted an extra ordinary meeting to approve this engagement, not forgetting that the UN has also given an approval to this very important engagement. This is a critical assignment that has been taken by our Armed Forces. Our memories are fresh, considering what happened in Kenya when the Al Qaeda criminal group massacred our people in Nairobi. About 210 Kenyans lost their lives. If we had known that the Al Qaeda elements were going to attack the country, our Armed Forces would have been called to defend it. Now that the Al Shabaab has also come out clearly with the intention of interfering with the territorial integrity of this nation, the Kenyan forces were legitimate in coming out to defend the territorial integrity of this country. Kidnappings were the order of the day in this country. Now, they have been stemmed. Piracy was common in the Indian Ocean and even at the Port of Mombasa where pirates were picking our ships. With the mobilization of our Navy and the other forces, ships are now docking at our Port without any threat. It is, therefore, important that those liberated areas in Somalia, their fate be known so that the innocent people who are liberated are given social facilities to continue with their lives in that country. We must also thank the men and women of this country who have moved to Somalia militarily to liberate that country. It is important that as our forces continue to fight in Somalia, a national day for prayer is set so that our military forces are given motivation, more spiritual and physical strength. As Kenyans continue to support this effort, it is important that the Government plans to invest more in our weaponry, particularly on the Navy. We must invest more and increase Navy ships and buy new weapons for our military. We should not wait for foreign countries to come and defend Kenya or even the East African countries. We have seen how the US is rushing to Egypt and how it has responded to Yemen and Tunisia. Therefore, this is an African and a Kenyan responsibility to defend the territories of this country. It is important that we move behind our Armed Forces to give them motivation so that they can bring back sanity and stability in Somalia. With those few remarks I fully support the engagement."},{"id":2689,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2689/?format=json","text_counter":380,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Kaino","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":32,"legal_name":"Boaz Kipchumba Kaino","slug":"boaz-kaino"},"content":"Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me start by thanking the Mover of this Motion. I will try very much to avoid repetition. Most of my colleagues have spoken and have done so very well. The messages that have come here tell you how long ago we should have gone to Somalia. The cries in Somalia especially from the children have not only been for Somalia but also for Kenya to help them. They cried to Ethiopia and Eritrea to help them. However, we have turned a blind eye to these children. We felt the pain when we were hit by the massacres in this country. We did not realise how many children had died in those areas. Kenya cannot be stable with the problems in Somalia today. It will be correct and positive for this country if we support this Motion because of one thing. The problems that we have today are caused by the influx of refugees from Somalia. If that country stabilizes, you will see these refugees going away, naturally. You will not even ask them to go. You will see them going back to their country because it is very beautiful, fertile and has many natural resources. The international community should go to Somalia and help. It is good that many countries in the world have realized that it is important to have peace. You cannot enjoy peace when your neighbours are suffering. They will create the same problems for you and that is what we have in Kenya today. Let me put it this way. It is important that Kenya joins the other forces of the AU because when we are there, we will not go as Kenya but as Africans. We shall be sharing whatever burden we have with other countries. So, the burden we have been having there as a country will lessen. Once that is done, we should come back home because we also have small fires burning here. We have industrial strikes like the one of the doctors that the Government should address because patients are dying in the hospitals. We must also address the destruction in Syokimau and Embakasi. Children who lived in very good houses now live in shanties. The problem has been brought by the Government. These are small fires. As we take a lot of water to put out the fires in Somalia, we must also remain with some water to put out the small fires that we have here at home. Teachers met today and they are strategizing for another strike. The doctors are demonstrating, going round Parliament Buildings. People are sleeping outside or in shanties in Embakasi. These are also small fires that we must put out. However, the first priority is to watch over Somalia and make that country stable. With those few remarks I support wholeheartedly this Motion."},{"id":2690,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/2690/?format=json","text_counter":381,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Mr. Mututho","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":97,"legal_name":"John Michael Njenga Mututho","slug":"john-mututho"},"content":"Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support this Motion wholeheartedly."}]}