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{
    "id": 1520543,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1520543/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 137,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba North, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Millie Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "However, I have a rider in relation to this Bill that we must strengthen. That is the issue of harmful cultural practices. The Constitution outlaws harmful cultural practices. I want us to strengthen the clauses of this Bill that deal with harmful cultural practices. Even though we allow cultural practices, some are harmful such as female genital mutilation, beading, forced wife inheritance, early and forced marriage of young girls. There are people in some communities who want to justify those practices. Before I came here, I used to represent many young girls and women in court. I remember one time when we were in Kajiado Court and the Children Act had already been passed. We arrested some old man who had married a 10-year-old girl. When we went there, he said: “This is allowed in my culture”. We told him: “This cannot be allowed! It is no longer permitted by law.” Then he asked: “Did Hon. Saitoti know that you passed such a law?” He thought that he would have stopped us from passing such a law which was stopping him from marrying a 10- year-old girl. So, because of that, we must put a rider. That even though we have culture, there are certain cultural practices that are retrogressive."
}