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{
    "id": 1226121,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1226121/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 307,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "I am very happy and want to thank the Members of this Parliament and the Senate, across the Floor, who in absentia elected me to the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians. By that designation, I stand to sit in the IPU Parliament for two years. So far, we have had two sessions. It is a very powerful and important committee that deals with issues of human rights of parliamentarians. I want to say that one of the things that I want to thank God for as a country is that we have made serious progress in terms of human rights. I am hoping that this country does not go back on the mileage that we have had in terms of human rights. Recently, my committee in IPU dealt with an issue of a woman parliamentarian who was shot dead because she could not agree to marry an army general. We have had cases of women Members of Parliament gang-raped because they did not agree with the Executive. We have had people being stopped from being Members of Parliament in the middle of their term. Recently, one of the friendly countries, which I would not mention, had the police in uniform getting into Parliament. Those are the things that we hope we would never see in this Parliament or something close to what we saw in 2014 when we were dealing with the Security Laws (Amendment) Bill. I would want to encourage you… That is why some of us come on very strongly when we see indications of violations of human rights or things that look like dictatorial tendencies that are emerging in this Government. I want to encourage that even as the Government of Kenya is negotiating over the new Organization of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States and the European Union Treaty, our main focus should be the structure and powers that we have within it. I have talked to some of the Members who have served in the ACP-EU and their concern is that the power tilts more towards Europe than it does to the Pacific or African countries. I would also want to encourage ourselves to find a way of creating connections without making it an appendage of the Pan-African Parliament. One of the things that I have heard being said is that they want to see how they can make ACP-EU sort of an appendage. In the meeting that we attended in Manama, Bahrain on the Inter-Parliamentary Union, I have seen that it gives us opportunities despite our diverse cultures to discuss issues that are of concern to us as the world, globe, Africa and Kenya so that we put forth our issues. The tragedy from African perspective is that we never seem to speak with one voice. I am hoping Kenya can take leadership which it already does very well. 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."
}