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"id": 101454,
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"speaker_name": "Eng. Gumbo",
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"legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support this important Bill. As I support this Bill, I want to thank hon. Millie Odhiambo for bringing to the Floor of this House this very important Bill. I particularly laud the effort that has gone into looking at the broad issues that concern the counter-trafficking in persons especially the issues concerning confidentiality for victims, the impact assessment of victims and restitution; particularly restitution with regard to medical and psychological treatment. I also thank her for building into the Bill provisions of providing victims immunity from prosecution especially in cases where such a victim may be an illegal immigrant in our country. The provisions for support and protection of victims in person is also very important as well as the provision to exempt them from paying fees in civil suits. It is also very laudable to note that this Bill provides for confiscating proceeds from the highly criminal activity of trafficking in persons. The provision for repatriation is also important, as is the setting up of counter trafficking advisory committee. Like has been said by my colleague, hon. Shakeel, I asked the Mover to look at the counter trafficking advisory committee afresh. It is top heavy with Government officials. I think it would be good if you looked at ways to try to bring people from the private sector also into that committee. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, setting up of a Trust Fund has been spoken about by speakers before me and I will not go into details other than to say that it is indeed very important because we have seen the plight of many Kenyans who get, for example, stranded in countries abroad and are unable to get themselves back to the country. I think the idea is very good. Having said that, I think it is important as a country, that we address some of the causes known to us that make it easy for this crime of trafficking in persons to occur. In that respect, I think as a country and we will not tire of saying this, we really must address the yawning poverty gap in the Kenyan society. Kenya still remains one of the most unequal places on earth. I think this is something that as a people and as representatives of our people, we must talk about boldly and at every opportunity that we get. I have been to countries outside Kenya and sometimes it amazes you that when you walk in the streets of Kampala, for example, with Ushs500, you can actually get a proper lunch. This is less than Kshs20. I tried to look around in Nairobi for a place where you can get a decent lunch comprising anything of note for Kshs20. Such a place does not exist. The issue of income disparities in Kenya is definitely a cause that makes this crime easy to perpetrate and we have to look at these issues. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is also important that we look at the structure of the Provincial Administration. I am one of the people who strongly supported a Bill which was brought into this House to remunerate and pay village elders. My reason for supporting that Bill was because the way I understand it, the village elders are actually supposed to have literally a physical count of everybody in their villages. I want to believe that even with the structures that we have, it should be possible, particularly in the rural areas, for the assistant chiefs, the chiefs and the village elder to know exactly who among their people have disappeared mysteriously. These people are plucked from among us and we cannot say that we do not know them. The other issue that we have to address - and I am speaking with authority because I am one of them - I think we also must prescribe stiff penalties in Kenya for irresponsible parenting. The way I know it is that the prime duty, the most important duty for anybody in this country who has children, is to look after those children. But we see a lot of irresponsibility. A lot of people in the rural areas send their children who are under- age to come and work in Nairobi. I think in this day and age, that ought to be criminal. Free schooling is provided in Kenya and there is absolutely no excuse why anybody should bring their children to urban areas where basically they are abetting trafficking in the name of running away from their responsibility. Even those of us in the middle class, I think we tend to hide under the excuse of the pressures of life to get away from the responsibilities of parenting. For me, parenting is the most important duty for anybody in this country. All the other things that we do are secondary. Having said all that, perhaps the other area that I would like the Mover to look at, and that has been eloquently stated by my colleague, hon. Wetangula, is that penalties that have been prescribed in this Bill are too lenient. I think we have to look at especially the penalty for those Government officials who knowingly abet this crime. I think the Mover has to look at this. We cannot be shy to say these things, while here we are being told to put in place designer Bills. Some will come here and tell us the death penalty is primitive and yet in their own countries, they practice the same. Designer Bills are not going to help us. We are a unique country and we have to bring in punishment and fines that are commensurate with the crime. There are a lot of people who even now in the name of looking for or making illegal money, go to the rural areas or rural schools and bring children here to Nairobi, make them walk barefoot, photograph them, send them abroad and get money. These are criminals. They should be punished heavily. I am not talking about the death penalty but when people like that get away with five years, then that is too lenient. When they are fined Kshs10 million, that is also very lenient. This is blood money because they are using the plight of helpless children. I urge the Mover to prescribe the death penalty in this Bill. We will not be the first ones to do it."
}