Gideon Sitelu Konchella

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 541 to 550 of 588.

• 14 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that the Refugees Bill be now read a Second Time. The issue is an old problem in the world. In Kenya, the history of refugees dates back to pre-Independence period. However, the country started hosting fairly large numbers of refugees in the 1980s from neighbouring countries like Ethiopia, Uganda and Somalia. The situation got worse when the Said Barre regime in Somalia collapsed. The overthrow of Mengistu's Government in Ethiopia and the war in Sudan created a large outflow of refugees in the early 1990s. Since then, Somalia has had no ... view
• 14 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: The Refugees Bill, 2006, establishes structures within the Government necessary for handling of refugees matters. These include establishment of the Office of the Commissioner for Refugees, which is an office in the Public Service; Refugees Affairs Committee and a Refugees Appeals Board. The Bill also stipulates for a process of recognising refugees and issuing them with identity cards in order to ensure that the Government knows who is within the country. This will enable us to better address issues of national security. It further stipulates where refugees will reside after recognition. This Bill also provides for the rights and duties ... view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) Currently, the issuance of a passport takes 20 days for a new applicant. However, my Ministry is re-engineering its processes to make issuance of the document faster. Applicants wishing to replace their passports on expiry after 10 years wait for 10 days, while those wishing to renew their passports on expiry after five years are served on the spot. (b) I am aware that there are delays occasioned by verification of primary documents submitted by applicants to support their applications. The documents have to be verified by the Ministry, in consultation ... view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with due respect to the hon. Member, if he can jog his mind, he would remember that he is the one who actually introduced vetting when he was the PC. So, part of the things that we are following is what the law says for those officers who are in office, including him. But that does not negate the fact that the people are suffering and spending a lot of money. We want to ensure that the integrity of our passports is upheld worldwide. There 3508 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES November 8, 2006 are a lot of problems ... view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Yes, including the Maasais, I agree. So, they will find one way or the other to try and get Kenyan documents. So, for us to control this thing, we have to vet properly. But I have said that we have started to vet people, even in Eldoret, for the issuance of passports and we intend to extend this service to every provincial level so that in Garissa, they can also do vetting because there are more elders there who are known to the people than the people who are in Eastleigh in Nairobi, who we are using now. So, I ... view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let him bring a Question and I will answer it. view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, let the hon. Member bring a Question and I will answer it, because we have no details about that case. view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we only charge once, so I am not sure what the hon. Member is talking about. But if they have already been vetted by committees that are established within the districts, that is enough! She should bring forward a specific case and I can follow it up and advise her accordingly. view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, the people of North Eastern Province really need to thank this Government for giving them priority and a lot of things. For example, they hold the highest number of passports than any community in Kenya. view
• 8 Nov 2006 in National Assembly: Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are not denying anybody passports, if he is a Kenyan, but we have to verify that we are giving the document to the right people because of the influx of a community that is similar to those of Kenyans in North Eastern Province. So, they should really know that, currently, they hold the highest number of passports per community in Kenya. So, they are not being discriminated. We are just following the law to make sure that when you are given a passport, you are really a Kenyan and you do not intend to use ... view