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{
    "id": 1237125,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1237125/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 320,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Thika Town, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, gone are the days when a parent would take away children, flee to another country and limit their access to the other parent. Two weeks ago, I visited Canada. While I was there, I met a lady who had moved to Canada with her family. After some years down the line, her husband came back to Kenya and left them there. She was not working and her husband did not care what they were going to do to feed and what the children were going to use to go to school. These Conventions will stop that. That is why, as a Committee, we are asking this House to adopt them so that we can protect our children. Simply put, the three Conventions will allow Kenyan women or men who have judgements issued by Kenyan courts for custody, parental responsibility and maintenance or return of a child to walk to the Attorney-General’s office and deliver that judgement there. The Attorney-General’s Office will then coordinate with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection under the National Council for Children Service and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have the judgement taken to a foreign mission in a foreign country where the parent avoiding parental responsibility is hiding. Our foreign mission will then coordinate with the authorities of the foreign countries – which is part of the convention – to trace the runaway parent and the order shall be enforced if it was issued in a Kenyan court. This is, indeed, a historical day in our country. It is a legacy. I pray that the Departmental Committee on Social Protection of the 13th Parliament will be remembered in the years to come. This is certainly a great achievement for the children of this country. I am proud to have been part of this journey as the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Social Protection. Recently, like I said, we have seen very many men and women suffering because one parent decided to run away from their responsibility. These Conventions are going to stop that. Finally, allow me to thank the Members of the Departmental Committee on Social Protection for their diligence in concluding the consideration of these three Hague Conventions which are very technical in nature. The last Parliament did not consider the conventions despite having been submitted by the Executive. I am particularly happy that the Members of this Committee prioritised the consideration of the conventions despite having a lot on their trays as pending business. Allow me to also thank the Secretary of the Committee for facilitating the conclusion of these three conventions. It is good to note and let the House know that, once the House adopts this Report, we will walk to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and deposit our Report with them. After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some Committee Members will fly all the way to the Hague to make sure that Kenya is one of the countries that are protecting their children. With those few remarks, it is with pleasure and my duty – it is a proud moment for the children of Kenya, and men and women of this great country – that I beg to move this Motion and urge the House to adopt it. I request Hon. Hillary, the Vice-Chair of the Committee, to second the Motion. Thank you."
}