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"id": 254804,
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"speaker_name": "Mrs. Ngilu",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Health",
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"id": 111,
"legal_name": "Charity Kaluki Ngilu",
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"content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is in the same spirit that I urge all hon. Members to talk to each other. Hon. Members should step down where necessary to allow proper debate to take place for the development of this country. I would like to ask one or two questions. It is surprising because somebody felt that it was not the right thing to do. Yet, in the year 2002, when some of us gave up our political ambitions and allowed one of us to run for presidency to ensure the removal of the past dictatorial regime, we were not called traitors. I would like to say that anybody using such a language should stop forthwith! At any one time, we should be willing to give up our positions for the sake of the nation. It was in the same spirit that, in 1962, our forefathers who fought for Independence refused to accept it until Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was released from prison. It is in the same sprit that hon. Members like hon. Raila Odinga gave up their ambitions and stood down for us in order to have the new Government in place. If we cannot do that, then what will we be doing in this House? How many others can do the same? I want all those people who are saying that some people are traitors to follow the same example since we know that people can also stand down for others. It is not the first time I have done this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in 1998, I stood down for hon. Oloo-Aringo as a Commissioner in the Parliamentary Service Commission of this House. I would like to do it again and again for this nation. It is time that we started working together and making this House a centre of hope for Kenyans and not a battleground. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have just returned from Coast Province where I visited and checked on our health facilities. I had an opportunity to meet with various political April 4, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 301 leaders. What struck me was the high rate of teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy at the Coast Province has to be addressed very urgently. I held a meeting with coastal leaders and we will have a bigger meeting where we will involve the Provincial Administration, women leaders and opinion leaders among others. We found 15-year old pregnant girls in maternity wards. It is for this reason that we shall never be able to reduce maternal and infant mortality. As I went round the province, especially in Kinango and in some parts of Kilifi, I met women who made one request to me. They said that although there is too much work that needs to be done in this House and especially the debate on corruption, they asked me to have the Sexual Offences Bill introduced and debated first so that we do away with it. In particular, I found a 15- year-old pregnant girl in hospital. I asked her how she became pregnant and what class she was in. She told me that she got pregnant in Standard Five. She told me that she was raped by her uncle and she screamed uncontrollably. That uncle of hers is out on bond. He was given a bond of Kshs50,000. I want to say in this House that I am very disappointed with our courts. They are not doing what they ought to do. Therefore, as we pass the Sexual Offences Bill, we have got to look at what stiff penalties we can put in place for sexual offenders. In fact, I believe that what I said in this House before still stands, that these men who are doing such things to such young girls have no reason to live. If they live, they should be castrated so that they can at least learn good manners. They are really ruining the lives of young girls. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I went round Coast Province, I found that despite the fact that primary education is free, the children there do not go to school. Some people are going round this province luring young girls and boys to the streets and yet primary education is free. In particular, I was informed that there was a man who had stationed himself in one of the hotels in the name of a tourist, who was sneaking in young boys and training them on how to be gay. So, I also think this is something else that we have to address very urgently. I told the Provincial Commissioner that he needs to call the management of that hotel and talk to them so as to address this issue. In particular, the Coast leaders told us to ban this programme called Channel \"O\", which is teaching our children things which we Africans cannot do and are not comfortable with. I think the Minister for Information and Communications has got to deal with this Channel \"O\" programme because they complained about it repeatedly. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, most of our facilities lack clean water. We hope that in this year's Budget there will be an increase and, therefore, we can get more water in our health facilities. However, in particular, women continue carrying water on their backs for long distances. A study that has been done shows that women cover 170 million kilometres each single day in search of water. How on earth can this be allowed in independent Kenya? I beg to support."
}