HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1399950,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1399950/?format=api",
"text_counter": 251,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
"speaker": null,
"content": "there, people were already in centralised places. If we have an earthquake in Kenya, how we will react will be shocking because we do not have those centralised places. In Indonesia, everybody knows that there is an earthquake. Every hotel has a centralised area. We should also have automated systems even in our hotels, not only for earthquakes but also for other things. For instance, my county, Homa Bay, is an earthquake-prone area. However, do we have such things? I know Hon. Gladys Wanga will do something about it. She has just served her first year. However, we need to put in place such things in law. The other issue that is of concern to me is the definition of ‘emergency preparedness.’ I encourage the Committee to add—as part of emergency preparedness—that we should have a policy and monitoring system in place for both the national government and county governments. We need an early warning system, continuous public education and awareness by the public on disaster risk response, including emergency telephone numbers and call centres. There should also be facilities and equipment for effective and quick response in case of disasters, including fire trucks. We should have land, water and air ambulatory services. If a disaster occurs in Mfangano Island right now, we will have a challenge because we do not have a boat ambulatory system. We raised this matter with our governor and she said she would bring it. I am not saying this in relation to Homa Bay County only, but also in relation to other areas covered with water. If there is an emergency or a disaster, how do you respond quickly? The response systems that we have are mainly private. It is hard for us to mobilise them. You might even find the ferry is in Kisumu or in another place. It is also slow. When you are dealing with disasters, you need quick responses. These are some of the issues that should be addressed. In Clause 4 of the Bill, one of the guiding principles should be protecting vulnerable groups including women, children, persons with disabilities and the elderly in cases of disasters. We have not mentioned them specifically. Disaster affects different groups differently. When there are women and children, in cases of disasters, women will be prone to sexual abuse and all other kind of issues. How do we respond women’s concerns in such circumstances, where they no longer have any habitation? What about menstrual hygiene when you have disasters? I suggest that we include the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage in the National Disaster Risk Management Authority because of such issues. I know we are also trying to make it smaller. However, we need to have the Cabinet Secretary who, in most cases, also doubles up as the one in charge of young persons. I know that it is not the same now, but it will be important. On the issue of governance, there is an issue that I have been speaking to a lot in this House. However, I will re-emphasise it. There is a tendency where you find one Kenyan in two boards or serving in a government office and also in a board. There are many Kenyans who do not have anything. We should give them a chance to serve in these boards. Do we have one person who has exceptional intellectual capacities? We must also address those things. In governance, we must also look at the way we phrase the powers that we give to the Chairperson of the Board. One of them should not be to dismiss somebody for absenting himself or herself without justification. We also need to ensure that we take a zebra approach when we appoint the boards or office holders of any of the bodies. If you have a male Chair, you should have a female Vice- chair and vice-versa. I have written a few of the issues. I will not mention all of them. I just want to complete by saying one of the things that I have told you before. I sponsored the Victim Protection Act. One of the sections in the Act is the mass victimisation arising from a crime. For instance, there is the issue of terrorism. When we have terrorist attacks, how do we respond as a country? Every single person walks in there to respond, but not the officers. Secondly, in their response, we do not preserve the evidence and look at the victim. We do not preserve the dress that the person is wearing for purposes of identification or any other identifying features, like what we see in many of the programmes in the USA or other areas. 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"
}