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{
    "id": 1418172,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1418172/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 230,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sotik, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Francis Sigei",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support this very comprehensive Report. At the outset, I thank the Committee for an excellent Report which they have brought to this House. I want to state that this Report is a tip of the iceberg. We have a lot of things that are going on out there. I sit in the Public Investments Committee (PIC) where we have been doing some audit in the universities and the TVET institutions. On this issue of PWDs, those institutions have failed miserably. I am very happy that this Committee has brought out those issues. As has been said by my colleagues, Article 54(2) of our Constitution is very clear. The laws of this country, including the Act that deals specifically with disabilities, are very clear. I support that the issue here is mainly lack of compliance and enforcement of the existing laws. I request the Committee, which has done a very good job, to re-examine the existing laws and bring amendments to the House so that we can discuss those issues. We need to take appropriate action in terms of legislation. I want the House to take this role seriously. Let us ensure that the people who violate those laws are punished severely, so that they can remember the consequences for the rest of their lives. On the issue of procurement, the procurement law is very clear. It talks about giving some specific percentage to the people living with disabilities. But, how many comply with the Act? We need to look at ourselves as Members of Parliament. I am not sure how many of us are complying with the law. It states that for all tenders in the entire country, a specific percentage must be allocated to people living with disabilities. In my constituency, I have carried out an assessment of people living with disabilities and I have identified 1,084 of them. What I am doing now is looking for the best ways to assist them. Unless you understand the extent of their disabilities and what they truly need in life, it is very difficult to assist them. So, as the Member of Parliament for Sotik, I am committed to making sure that what the Chairman has brought up here is a starting point. I fully support this Report, and I want to thank the Chairperson and this Committee for doing a fantastic job."
}