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{
    "id": 486744,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/486744/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 438,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Bishop) Mutua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13137,
        "legal_name": "Robert Mutemi Mutua",
        "slug": "robert-mutemi-mutua"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, we should look at this Bill as Members of Parliament who are responsible and who are doing a service to this country for posterity. We should not look at where the Bill is coming from. We should look at the contents of the Bill and its contents are made in such a way that some areas need to be amended. Of course, one area has already been highlighted where the police were given permission to arrest people when they think they are likely to cause breach of peace. That reminded me of the old days when innocent people could be arrested and accused to be behaving in a manner likely to cause breach of peace. We cannot allow that one. That must go and when that has gone, we must also address the issue related to family violence. This family violence issue is not limited to man and wife. It is not only limited to the children. Even within the children themselves within their relationships, there is a problem. You remember that the first domestic violence that was ever recorded in a home setting was of Cain and Abel. Those were not just husband and wife. So, this Bill should address itself also to that kind of violence where brothers to brothers also extend violence. So, to me, this is an opportunity for us to deliberate on the sources of violence within a domestic set up. Hon. Speaker, I have come across so many cases and I can tell you for sure the issues that are being addressed here are real. There is no question about it. I have come across all these cases. People have been abused in all these many ways but the question I am asking myself is: Are we able to regulate love? No, we cannot. So, this Bill should seek to enhance reconciliation, restoration of good domestic relationships. That is one area that this Bill does not come out very strongly on and we need to strengthen it. This Bill, first and foremost, should seek to reconcile and restore good domestic relationships across the board. If this Bill does that then it will be more preventive than punitive. Hon. Speaker, one of the mistakes that we can do is to pass a Bill that enhances punitive measures at the expense of reconciliation and restoration of relationships within the family set up. That will be catastrophic. That will be a terrible way to go. So, this Bill needs to be improved by removing those very wordy sections because there are sections that are too loaded and wordy that you actually wonder what they mean. I tend to believe that we can improve this Bill to a level where all of us will feel very safe with it because none of us would like to live with violence. We do not want to see our children, men and women traumatised by violence. However, the way to address that scenario is that all of us as a House become sober, non-emotional and to know that 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."
}