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{
    "id": 1284293,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1284293/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 205,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "We are headed to December and culturally, my people hold the rite of initiation of young people. It happens even in Western where my neighbour, Sen. Mumma, comes from. In as much as we are allowed to take some substances up to some level, it has not reached this level. We normally ask the Government to give us freedom in the month of December. However, those things that we indulge in, have not reached this level of causing cancer. That is the beauty of African tradition and our local cuisine and drinks. In fact, some of these drinks do not kill ‘transformers’. I thank the Deputy President, His Excellency Hon. Gachagua, who has been at the fore front in fighting illicit brews. The effects that these substances – e-cigarettes, shisha, the normal cigarettes and bhang – have on the human body cannot be equated. For us who are Christians, we have an obligation to fill the world in the Book of Genesis. I can see our Parliamentary Prayer Coordinator, Sen. Maanzo, who led the National Prayer Breakfast the other day. However, as my sister alluded to, after taking some of these substances, the ‘machines’ go silent at night when they are needed the most by young people. It undermines the growth of our population in this country. It is a multifaceted conversation that we must have. As a Senator in Parliament, I ask us to take the lead. We need to engage health research institutes such as CDC and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), so that our people get the truth. Sen. Mumma should demand the makers of these e- cigarettes to display and say that smoking of e-cigarette is harmful to your health. Just the way it is being done on the cigarettes. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have two final points so that my colleagues can also contribute. There is a new trend and I hope Sen. Mumma is noting. Under the Tobacco Control Act, they did not prohibit selling online. Many things are being sold online nowadays including some that I can mention and some that I cannot. For example, nowadays, you do not need to go to Toi Market or Gikomba to buy something. You just go online and buy it through Kilimali or any other online merchant. The same applies to even when you are traveling. Some of us have been travelling for long. Commissioner, Sen. Omogeni and some of us who have had the privilege of travelling before, know that you can sit in your hotel somewhere and just buy your tie and suit or clothes. I know the furthest some of us have traveled is to my village in Mosoriot and back to Nairobi City. I do not know if Sen. Wambua is a victim of only travelling to Kitui and back to Nairobi City. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Sen. Mumma should amend the Tobacco Control Act and ensure that if they sell through the internet, they must be prohibited or they must display a caution or caveat. We must regulate the internet. That is why our young people can watch pornography on the internet. You even saw a child being rescued. Even paedophiles thrive on the internet. I thank the Government and the President for having a meeting in Silicon Valley and with TikTok owners. After 1.00 a.m. to around 4.00 a.m. in the morning Kenyan time - I am not a night runner, but for some of us who do not sleep very early because of other duties - you would go to TikTok and find that it was embarrassing and shameful. I thank the President for taking the lead by ensuring that the Live App in TikTok was removed. It was killing our youth. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services,Senate."
}