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{
    "id": 500559,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/500559/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 453,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "Constitution, but also to a lot of international conventions that Kenya has ratified. Those include the Convention against Torture, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I am very happy because I think I was very concerned about this Jubilee Government that, for a long time, when it came in, perhaps, because of the shadow of the International Criminal Court (ICC) looming very heavily over its head, it looked like it was hell-bent on taking away rights. I am glad that this Bill moves away from that. I know that I have already also brought before this House a Bill that is pending, which is the Child Justice Bill. I know we are still in discussion with the Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) over that Bill. Whether it comes in the form that I have proposed or in the other form, I notice that under this Bill, there are certain provisions that are very similar. I am very happy especially on issues of children. When children are detained, they should be separated from adults and the girls separated from boys. That also means separation of men from women. One of the things that I noted when I was working in the children’s sector is that, whenever children are detained; whether as children in conflict with the law or children in need of care and protection, what happens sometimes is that their education stops and the Government does not provide for them. That is not provided for under this law. So, I want to request or urge the Committee to consider that. If they do not, then I will probably want to consider that, in future, especially when they come to the Committee of the whole House. For me, the greater challenge in Kenya now is not just the laws. We have a plethora of laws that are dealing with a lot of issues. When we go outside this country, people use Kenya as an example or model country for a whole lot of things, including the salaries of Members of Parliament. One of the things that we are mostly used as an example is our Constitution and the laws that we have built around it. The only challenge for Kenya is that we have not built the culture of constitutionalism which is a culture of obeying the law. I would like to encourage and urge the President that he must build that culture. He must desist from the culture of roadside declarations. I know that he wants to be a public relations President by taking photos and all that but the Bible says that there is a time for everything. He should therefore take his work and role as a President more seriously so that even as he is taking photos, he should limit the photos that he is taking. Finally, I want to encourage the Leader of Majority Party. As he was speaking and even moving the Bill, he mentioned the issue of hon. Magerer. Hon. Magerer was not derived of his liberty even though I strongly condemn that act. That is an act for which I have been branded a mole in my party. I have absolutely no apologies. First, before I am a legislator, I am a Christian. I have said it here. I may do crazy things but my calling, first, is as a Christian. Then I am a human rights lawyer. Those are the first things I adhere to. Because of that, I cannot support any barbaric act of treating people without respect. My party is ODM, which is the Orange Democratic Movement. The “D” is about democracy. Hon. Duale was saying the other day that I have formed a splinter group in 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."
}