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{
    "id": 1278084,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1278084/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 104,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Dorothy Muthoni",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you for allowing me to support this very important Motion by Hon. Odiwour, the Member for Langata. I begin with an adage that says the best brains lie in the cemetery. Indeed, we are not just talking about Langata. We are talking about a place where bodies are just dumped in a shallow or permanent grave, depending on one’s means or the discretion of the people left behind. We are talking about the next temporary or permanent residence of children, the youth, men, women, and legislators seated here when we exit this world. That begs the next question. Do the dead have dignity? The Bill of Rights in the Constitution of Kenya confers the right to inherent dignity, which should be respected. The dead should be protected. If you walk around Langata Cemetery today, you wonder whether we adhere to the Constitution, which states that even the dead have and deserve dignity. I am perturbed that we are talking about a place that was set aside by our colonial masters. As a country, we should feel ashamed to be talking about Langata Cemetery, which since Independence, we have not taken any steps to either improve or maintain what the colonial masters left us. I say this with much pain because of the people lying at Langata Cemetery. All of us seated here today may one day be there because nobody has immunity from death. It is high time we prepare that final resting place for ourselves while still alive. That is the responsibility of the legislators seated here today. That is why I give a thumbs-up to Hon. Odiwuor. He is not just thinking about himself but also about future generations. We should not look at the graves and think they are only graves. Those were people who were known to us. If you go to Langata Cemetery today, you will find plaques on each grave with titles and names. Unfortunately, because of the double allocation of graves, the person buried in a particular grave may not be the person whose name appears on the mounted plaque. The County Government of Nairobi is obligated to ensure that it takes immediate steps to improve that cemetery. We should not talk as if there is nothing we can do to improve the cemetery's status, whereas we have all the mechanisms we need to improve it. We should be aware that the cemetery should be well taken care of. It should have toilets, wash areas, and water points. Bushes must be cleared so that when people go there to check on their loved ones, they have a dignified place to relax and have fine memories of their relatives and friends. My time is up. The Constitution obligates the County Government of Nairobi to ensure it sets aside areas where people can be buried with dignity."
}