Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1446266,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1446266/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 163,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okiya Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "trousers. We have to be sensitive to the dressing of women. We must be sensitive to that because it is a cultural issue. Therefore, we cannot make a law that offends some cultures. Let us be sensitive. Maybe, we may have to find a better word for that. Even in almost all situations, I do not see a situation where you can force a lady to sit astride on a motorcycle. Unless a lady is on a pair of trousers, we might be demanding her to expose more flesh than she is comfortable doing. So, let us look at that clause like what you have done in Clause 13(2) (b), which says- “Persons with disabilities will be exempted from the requirement to sit astride while being carried on a motorcycle.” Such kind of nuanced interventions might be required for our sisters when they are using motorcycles. I have also looked at Clause 17(3). Being a person who uses the boda boda a lot, there are loads, which are carried in front of the rider. Those loads are not addressed. The assumption is that all loads on a motorcycle are behind the rider. Some riders take the load, put it on the petrol tank and the control bars, and then leave the rear to carry other things. So, I would ask my brother to look at and address that kind of loading of motorcycles. On motorcycle ambulances, there is a requirement that they will be operated by trained medical personnel. I do not know what trained medical personnel is. Maybe, there will be a need to look at that. I also do not know whether we shall be requiring medical doctors to be operating these motorcycles. Therefore, there is a need to do some clarification on that particular provision. We need to know the role of the trained medical personnel on these motorcycle ambulances. Are we talking about paramedics operating these motorcycles or what is it? Let us get some clarification. The other thing is the issue of boda boda operators as riders of passengers and delivery agents. What I know is that sometimes because of the limitation in business opportunities, many boda boda riders act both as delivery agents and as passenger riders. So, maybe, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, should look at that and see how he could capture that unique aspect. One of the interesting qualities of boda boda is that they end up doing everything. Some people even use them for ploughing. So, I think it will need a bit of creativity to govern this industry. Otherwise, to me, this is an excellent Bill which is long overdue. It ought to have come when Mr. Okemo was the Minister for Finance. He lifted the tax on motorcycles. This led to the affordability and expansion of the boda boda sector to ordinary people. Consequently, it weeded out bicycles. Perhaps at that time they should have looked into this and made such a Bill to regulate this area. It is a very important law whose time is long overdue. I support it with amendments. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, sir."
}