Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1419597,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1419597/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 298,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Constitution on the rights of children. For example, parental care, right to naming, rights to basic compulsory free education, right to basic nutrition, shelter and healthcare, protection from abuse, neglect, and harmful cultural practices. Therefore, children should be protected from abusive cultures. In this country, we still have cultures and communities that practice Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which still poses a big challenge in the emancipation and freedom of the girl child in this republic. We still have communities where young girls less than 10 years old are offered for matchmaking and marriage. I know this is dominant in other communities. Those are cultures that are harmful to the growth of the child. The Childrens Act of 2022 extrapolates rights for children. I am happy Sen. Ogola has indicated that children should be taken care of from the age of zero to 12 years when the child enters teenage, adolescence, culminating into adulthood. However, we have heard that 16 years can be the consent age in some other jurisdictions. Therefore, I wanted to propose an amendment that protection should start from conception and then proceed to newborn childcare. I will make four points before I allow my colleagues to continue. We need to look into the issue of postpartum because of the economic challenges and the nature of the well-being of most women in the country. I am happy that in the last session, the Government had opened a mental wellness center in Rongai, Kajiado County and the President went and launched it. We debated the Mental Health Bill on the Floor of this House for a long time. We are losing many young Kenyans because of depression. I read a sad story of a young girl who decided to jump into a river with a child strapped on her back. She left a note saying that she could not die alone and leave her child. I know Members have seen this in the news. That could have been postpartum depression. We must look at the mental well-being of women. There are body changes in a woman when they get pregnant. They also struggle when giving birth, which can affect their mental wellness. We must address this to avoid suicidal thoughts. Sometimes, some men become deadbeats and others shoot like snipers and disappear. This might bring depression and stress to most of our young girls and ladies. Since I am a man, I would like to advise that before a lady gets pregnant for anyone, they must be sure of the guy. They should check the quality of the genes or seeds. Also, check whether that person can hang around. The nature of men is that they are hunters and gatherers. This is beside the point. I would like to make a point on Clause 5 of the Bill. Article 53 of the Constitution talks about the rights of children. I do not know whether our Standing Orders will allow it in the future, but we used to have a former Majority Leader who used to read his submissions. When you go to the USA - I know Sen. Eddy is an expert on issues to do with the USA - you will find Senators reading their presentation. I have seen Members of the Parliament of Uganda read their presentations. However, I am aware of our practice. As leaders, we must be at the forefront of condemning some harmful cultures that affect our health. Under Jewish practice, a child is supposed to be initiated within eight days of birth. There are some other cultures where people would want to pierce tattoos. I know you are aware there is a famous song that says in our local culture, “ kichoran tattoo 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 and AudioServices, Senate."
}