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{
    "id": 1558915,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1558915/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 155,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Marsabit County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Naomi Waqo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "We also have orphans who have no parents to take care of them. Many times, even their relatives take advantage of them and end up mistreating them. This Bill will give hope to many. That is why I stand to support it. It seeks to take care of the minority, the vulnerable, persons living with disabilities, the elderly, and orphans. I also wish to talk about the issue of drug addiction in our country, which is spiraling out of control. Many of our young people, driven by frustration, have turned to drugs and a significant number require rehabilitation. As a country, we must plan for them, support them, and find ways to rehabilitate and reintegrate them back into society. The parents of those drug- dependent individuals are suffering, as they lack the means to help their children. If this Bill can incorporate mechanisms to assist such families, it will be of great benefit. Another category of the vulnerable group in our society is people living with HIV/AIDS. We are fully aware that HIV/AIDS has plagued our society and has been here for many years. Numerous families are affected. These are the vulnerable individuals who require urgent attention. This Social Protection Bill will assist all the people who need Government support across the country. The Bill will also enable us, as Members of Parliament, to identify those in need and support them through this framework. We must have accurate data on all the categories I have mentioned. Without this data, we cannot adequately assist the vulnerable in our society. In Marsabit County where I come from, for instance, people live across vast areas, and the distance from the county headquarters to many settlements is long. Without proper records, it becomes difficult to identify those in need. The Government must therefore, take it seriously in the collection of data on vulnerable populations in every part of the country. As we do that, one guiding factor is the poverty level. Poverty in Kenya is alarmingly high. Over 39 per cent of Kenyans live below the poverty line. Specifically, the figure stands at 39.6 per cent, which is quite high. Worse still, the most vulnerable in our society have often been overlooked. The Ksh2,000 given to elderly individuals is insufficient, even for basic medication. In counties like mine, the poverty rate is over 66 per cent. That means a majority of the population is living in dire conditions. Once this Social Protection Bill becomes law, it will allow us to locate these individuals and offer them the necessary support. 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."
}