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{
    "id": 222639,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/222639/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 217,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Sungu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 324,
        "legal_name": "Gor Eric Sungu",
        "slug": "gor-sungu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. Allow me also to congratulate the mover of this Motion, hon. Wamunyinyi, for bringing this Motion to the Floor of the House. This goes to show how serious the Ninth Parliament is in terms of issues that affect Kenyans. I would also like to thank the Assistant Minister for being supportive of this Motion. In fact, this particular Assistant Minister is so supportive of hon. Members and so level headed that he May 9, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1203 should have been promoted a long time back. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the problem that we have in Africa and in Kenya in particular is that of stigmatisation. Mental disorder is a medical problem just like any other problem, say, malaria. There are very few people who can dare go to hospital and say that they have contracted a venereal disease. HIV/AIDS is largely a big problem because of stigmatisation. Why do we continue to ignore what is essentially a medical problem that can be solved? On that light, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to really support this Motion and say that it is timely and important for us. It is clearly necessary to have in place a Board that will regulate the professionals in that field and the treatment of people who require psychological help. These people who do not have sound mental health, we see them, day in, day out, in the streets sometimes walking naked. One then wonders what has happened to our society. Do we really care about our own people? When somebody has got a psychological problem or is mentally ill, he is not in a position to judge for himself whether what he is doing is good or bad. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you will find that even in our institutions of health, we do not have enough capacity to accommodate these people. Government mental institutions are grossly inadequate. For example, Mathari Mental Hospital is basically full. Many mental patients are left wandering in the court yard there without even a bed to lie on. Even most provincial hospitals do not have a ward for mentally ill patients. Sometimes, these mentally ill patients are mixed with other patients. That is why we need a law that will regulate this sector. These services can be provided by professionals, if they are regulated. At the moment, you will find very many non-professional people dealing with mentally ill patients. A case in point has been mentioned by the mover of this Motion. There is a church in my constituency called the Holy Ghost Coptic Church of Africa. I would have liked to ask hon. O.K. Mwangi to actually talk to his brother, Mr. Pope Pesa. Sometimes he is called Mr. Owigo. This man ties up adult human beings in the name of treating medical diseases. This is done in the church and yet it is not licensed to look after mentally ill patients. This kind of thing goes on as we just watch. We know, for sure, that spiritual confusion has led to some problems elsewhere in the world. You remember Pastor Jones who took so many people to South America and they all killed themselves by taking poison. You remember Branch Davison who burnt himself alive in the face of law enforcement officers. I want to say that if we are to solve problems ourselves, then we must make sure that we have a legal provision for it and that is why I am supporting Mr. Wamunyinyi. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we cannot also forget that some governments have used forms of psychological torture as instruments of dictatorship. I was very keenly listening to an hon. Member here who was seconding this Motion and he displayed such good knowledge of psychological problems that I wonder whether his previous background as a worker in the Special Branch has something to do with it. We know for sure that drugs have been used to torture people psychologically. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}