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{
"id": 1592282,
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"speaker": null,
"content": "(The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Farah Maalim) spoke off the record)"
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{
"id": 1592283,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592283/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Is she in? There does not seem to be much more interest. Okay. Hon. Peter George Kaluma."
},
{
"id": 1592284,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592284/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Homa Bay Town, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
"speaker": null,
"content": " I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We always disagree with the House of the Senate in several Bills and Motions they process and bring here. For the first time this year, I congratulate the Senate for coming up with this Bill. Until you see a person who was able before suffering disability in the course of their lives, you will not appreciate such a Bill. In the 11th Parliament, we had the MP for Migori County, Hon. Dennitah Ghati. She was very agile here. She was involved in a road accident, then there was another road accident and she acquired disability. She was treated, but a person who was previously very agile, came back to the House on a wheelchair. I even had difficulties approaching her but she told me that those of us who are enabled differently by God take it for granted. She told me that she never knew a time would come when even just going to a restroom, she would have to, first, resolve in her mind whether it should be another person helping her. She told me she never knew that even in dressing up, it takes another person to assist you. This is therefore very important. Soon thereafter, my own personal assistant, a guy who was more intelligent than me, called Mr Kakachi, was involved in an accident. Even Hon. Kajwang would tell you about him. I took a guy who had a Master's Degree in Economics as my personal assistant. He suffered an accident on Limuru Road and in that accident his entire right arm went. Then I saw that even something like signing a cheque, the gentleman had to learn afresh using his left hand. All the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1592285,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592285/?format=api",
"text_counter": 642,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Homa Bay Town, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
"speaker": null,
"content": "documents had to change. His life had to change from a person who was helping others to being helped. I then realised that it is important that we think about these people. I am one MP who hosts the only school in the entire of Southern Nyanza, including Kisii area and part of Bomet, of children who are enabled differently intellectually. When you see the situation, sometimes we talk about the issue, even the release of their capitation here, I can tell you we should focus more on their situation than other children who are enabled differently. When there is no water, you do not know what to do with the children in Ogande Special School in my constituency. Sometimes the principal has to call me when there is delay, saying, can you even send some money, we get a bowser from Homabay town to get water to the school because of their situation. Some of them are autistic while others are intellectually gifted in different ways. We are being careful on language because it is a difficult situation. If you allow them to go to a river, they will drown yet they need water a lot. We had to reach a level of getting help from the Japanese Embassy in Nairobi, for us to have enough dormitories and to create for us infrastructure that can help these children enter and also study. Let me address the Chair of the Committee. If you go there on their Education Day, you will see how innovative they are. I can tell you that the bedside carpets that I use, and the beads used in my house, are processed by very beautiful things. Look at the bangles, the innovativeness, when they are trained to be able, like other people, to live on their own. We have seen cases where persons with disability were being exploited by some Kenyans who are enabled differently, on the streets. By investing in the learning and skilling of persons with disability, we remove such abuses. I am very happy, therefore, with this Bill coming from the Senate, and I think it is a good intervention because it is going to a vulnerable section of our society, whom we should be taking care of. But I wanted to add that this is important, because when we are supplying resources to these institutions, we are being alerted that we must always have those resources in time. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have spoken to the absence of water in these institutions at times. What of the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education, where there is no capitation and, therefore, they do not have food? Remember, sometimes people just drop them there – people who are not even related to them. Sometimes these schools, having learners with their various disabilities, are just used in the manner they were in the traditional sense of somewhere you drop people and you forget about them. The difficulties that the principals go through are very, very, very dehumanising. Therefore, I agree with this Bill that for once, the infrastructure accommodating persons with disability will be adequate; and the training as well as the skilling will be relevant to make them have a meaningful life beyond being people who can be neglected. I know that we are coming from old tradition where when you were born with any form of disability – if I may be allowed to use that word – you were deemed to have been cursed. In the olden days, in most African societies, such person would be dropped in the wilderness, a rope would be tied to confirm whether it is shaking or not until the person died there, and his body would be devoured by wild animals. We are past that stage. That is why this Bill makes me very happy. So, the provisions contained herein will ensure that we have adequate accessible infrastructure and personnel to train and give skills to people who are gifted differently for them to live their full life. We must ensure that there are facilities and an environment where disabled children can enjoy their right to education. This right is secured firmly under Article 53 of the Constitution and Article 45 on the right to free and compulsory basic education. The fact that they are enabled differently does not mean they should forgo those rights; it is not an exception in our Bill of Rights. This is a good Bill and I support it. However, at the appropriate time, I will urge that we review some of the provisions by way of constructive amendments to make them clear, more direct and assertive in terms of the rights we are talking about. For instance, Clause 5(g) The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
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"id": 1592286,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592286/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Homa Bay Town, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
"speaker": null,
"content": "says that every learner with disability shall have the right to equal treatment as other learners. On the face of it, the intent is very good. But which learners? We are creating this provision so that we can positively discriminate in favour of learners with disability. When you say they have a right to equal treatment with other learners, what are you talking about? They cannot be treated like other learners who are enabled differently. You must in a way give them a treatment that is over and above, and that accords with the fact that they are enabled differently. So, the intention of such a provision is very good, but when we read it keenly, it may be interpreted vaguely by the implementers in a manner that denies the right that we seek to assert. I hope the House will grant us the leave that we crave to clarify the provision. As I conclude, Clause 6, on responsibility of parents, is specific to learners with disabilities. As we go to the Committee of the whole of the House, I will keenly look at provisions of Article 53(3) of the Constitution and the duty of every parent to be responsible for every child of theirs, whether the parents are married or not, so that we do not have parents who believe that institutions for learners with disabilities are dropping zones to enable them shack their responsibility. Parents must continue discharging their duties. If there are gaps with respect to provisions prescribed in the Constitution, we will explicitly reiterate them here."
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"id": 1592287,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592287/?format=api",
"text_counter": 644,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Farah Maalim",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Jared Okello."
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"id": 1592288,
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"text_counter": 645,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nyando, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Jared Okello",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity. I also join my colleagues in supporting this most progressive Bill from the Senate. It should not be lost on us that these are our children, brothers and sisters, relatives, friends and we are connected with them in various ways. They are just as normal as other human beings with functional organs. As is commonly said, they are abled but differently from what would be the norm. I remember some of our colleagues or fellow pupils in school who were abled differently when we were in primary school. They were not given any preferential treatment. We have adopted a system where children report early in school hence, distorting their sleeping patterns. We could report to school at 5:00 a.m. and leave school at 7:00 p.m. People were treated equally that you were subjected to lots of strokes of the cane as a punishment if you reported to school later than 5:00 a.m. Even those who were abled differently did not escape the wrath of teachers just because teachers did not understand the challenges they had, accessing schools and undertaking their lessons just like everybody else. This is something that we have to re-look into as a country. If you go to America, schools begin at 7.30 a.m. whether it is primary schools or secondary schools. They are done by 2.30 p.m. Every activity beyond 2.30 p.m. is an extracurricular activity where they play, do sports and any other recreational activity but not the core curriculum. The craziness that we have in Africa of taking a whole day doing book learning, out book smart people who do not know how to interact with the community."
},
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"id": 1592289,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nyando, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Jared Okello",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We have to step back and re-look into this because life is not only about academics. Life has many facets that can make somebody successful. We have to look into it, especially when considering people who are abled differently. We understand that accessibility to various places they intend to visit or go to, have been a big problem. Many of our schools with children who are abled differently are without ramps. Other places have provision of ramps as part of law. All buildings must be fitted with equipment and other facilities that are proactive to people who are abled differently. We must also emulate that as a country. Developed countries where people board buses, have buses that lower themselves. I do not know how it works but, when stopped, they come farther down so that everybody can get in, including those with bikes meant for people with disabilities. Then, the bus will lift itself and continue with the journey. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
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"id": 1592290,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592290/?format=api",
"text_counter": 647,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nyando, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Jared Okello",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We need to embrace such things as a community because disability is not unique to a particular country. It is humankind and it transcends nations. We need to have reclining seats for the abled differently so that we provide them a level of comfort. I take cognisance of what our Constitution states even as we do that. That, you must consider the youth, women and people with disabilities when giving people employment. We still have employers who are hesitant to give opportunities to the abled differently yet they can as well deliver the services. Probably, better than people they think are normal in nature."
},
{
"id": 1592291,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1592291/?format=api",
"text_counter": 648,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Nyando, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Jared Okello",
"speaker": null,
"content": "As a country, we must pay credence to our constitutional standing so that our places of work do not discredit any person abled differently. Providing interpretations of sign language has to be the norm. You have people who do not hear ― the deaf ― in a crowd where people are speaking and they are present but no one bothers about them and therefore, they cannot follow the thread of discussions. We also need to infuse more stringent rules that accommodate people of this nature. As I have said about giving employment, even teachers who teach in various institutions with people who are abled differently, also have to be included so that you have teachers who connect with them because they suffer the same fate. But you have people who have absolutely no knowledge about disabilities being given the task to teach and guide them in various ways over problems that they do not properly understand. Going forward as a nation, even though we have come up with a very progressive Bill, we need to go farther and make sure that the implementation of proposals, including the amendments that Members of Parliament will be introducing, are implemented. Otherwise, it will just be empty talk. They continue to suffer in the hands of those who do not understand them and life continues. That should not be the case. They are people who belong to our society and we have to embrace them the way they are, with disabilities notwithstanding. I, thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support."
}
]
}