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{
    "id": 1071307,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1071307/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 251,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "I want to declare my interest because I do not have a child, and I have not gone through the process of assisted technology because of lack of a legal framework. That is why I am declaring my interest. Other than the court, I want to give my personal experience on this issue. I came to this Parliament when I was fairly young of a reproductive age. I did not even think much about whether I am having children or not. The first salvo that was thrown at me when I wanted to vie for a parliamentary seat was that I cannot lead because I am a lur . Lur in my language means a barren woman. People even ask me why I mention it because it is a terminology that people do not talk about. It is stigmatized and looked down upon. I thank God for bringing me to this House at such a time as this for a purpose, that I may be able to speak on behalf of thousands of women who cry and mourn in their houses, and who have been divorced because they do not have children. Hon. Deputy Speaker, you have seen me having political disagreements with some male leaders including those who are not MPs like when I had a disagreement with Hon. Sonko. He told me that I should not speak until I have opened my legs and given birth. I am a leader and a strong woman. What about another woman who may not be as strong as me, and is being derided, looked down upon and is about to be chased from a home because she is not able to open her legs and have a child? I have seen in my own constituency that when I have public meetings, people will address me by categories. I know that the issue of HIV/AIDS has been very stigmatized yet when I address the public, people will address me from that category. After I speak, people will come and say that they are farmers, fishermen and so on. The women who are HIV positive and who are on antiretroviral (ARV) drugs will stand up and tell me: “We also want our voices to be heard because we are jondilo .” Jondilo are those who take ARV drugs. They are not ashamed to say that they are on ARV drugs because they have HIV. I am giving the example of HIV because it is one of the most stigmatized diseases yet one of the common things I have seen is that the women who have no children will not raise their voices because they are too embarrassed to do so. They will hide and come to see me after everybody else has gone. They will whisper to me so that others do not hear, and tell me: “ Mheshimiwa, we are lur like you, that is, we are barren like you, and we do not have a voice.” I am here to speak on behalf of all the lurs in this country. I was amazed at the number of women, and not just the women, but even men, who have since come to me. When I brought this Bill in the last Parliament, about three male MPs came to me and told me that they have had their children through assisted reproduction which saved their marriages. Hon. Joyce Lay who was a Member of this House broke down and cried when she narrated her story on how she was not allowed to take her own child because the child was born through surrogacy, and it was the court that had to give her the child. There is a woman MP – she was not an MP by then, and I will not say who she is. If she wants, she can air her voice – who called me before I brought this Bill. Even though I say I have an interest, I brought this Bill mainly because of the voices I heard from women. That woman called me and told me: “Hon. Millie, can you please project our voices. I have gone through a horrendous time trying to have a child.” I am happy, as we speak, that she managed to get a child through assisted reproduction, and I also thank God that she is now an MP. I can see that she is not here today, but I hope that she will add her voice to this. A male MP – he is not here – who 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."
}