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{
    "id": 502062,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/502062/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 385,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon Ng’ongo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I also want to take this opportunity to support this Motion that was moved by hon. Shebesh. I want to thank her for bringing the Motion to the House. First, allow me to read the particular provision in the Constitution, which I wanted her to read, namely, Article 29(f). Apart from the others, every person has the right not to be treated or punished in a cruel or inhuman or degrading manner. You cannot punish someone in a cruel, inhuman or degrading manner. What we witnessed was clearly an inhuman treatment of the ladies. Allow me to remind those criminals, because these are actually criminals, that it is wrong to say that these were men or young men. These were clear criminals who should be dealt with as such. We should not even say that we wait for the victims to report. This is a crime against the State. The police must take action. These people must be arrested. There is no way you can tell us that you cannot identify those people. They are in this City. They must be arrested and even the ones in Mombasa must be arrested. The Director of Public Prosecutions must proffer charges against these criminals. This is a country that forgives too much. It is a country where someone walks with a stick and canes a former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya and the following day, that person is excused. It is a country where people throw shoes at the Head of State and then some people go to State House and the criminals are excused. We are sending the wrong signals to criminals. Criminals must be dealt with. We need to remind these young people, wherever they are, that human beings were created naked; not even with short clothes. Human beings were created naked. If you read the book of Genesis in the Bible, you will find that clothing is a consequence of sin. In fact, if Adam and Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit, we would be naked and no one would talk about it. Therefore, we should know that there is nothing wrong when people dress the way they do. Sometimes, we give excuses for people who cannot control themselves. You cannot stand in the street, fail to control yourself and then blame someone who is passing by, whom you do not even know. You have your wife, daughter and mother at home, whom you should tell how to dress. If you want to advise my daughter, please do it in a civilized way, but you cannot go to the street and strip someone naked and then come here and start giving excuses. I hear some of my colleagues saying outside here that even as we condemn this, we should tell people that they should dress in a particular way. Which is this particular way? We have not legislated to define how people should dress. If we want, we are the National Assembly and have the power to legislate. If we feel there are some people who are dressing inappropriately, whatever that word means, then we legislate on that. In my view, we should not even continue debating about these criminals. It is a shame that we can take time debating criminals who should be behind bars. Let us give unequivocal statement to the Director of Public Prosecution sthat before Friday, we want to see people charged for stripping these girls, wherever they are. The victims do not have to report to the police. The police have the legal framework and powers to investigate, arrest and forward for prosecution. The faces of these boys are known. I am told they are matatu touts. I even hear that the lady was not inappropriately dressed. The reason they behaved the way they did is because the lady was stubborn. They were signaling and she refused to give in to what they wanted. Then they went ahead and stripped her naked and some people go out there to defend such an act. You cannot. The women who were stripped are people’s daughters. Please, remember that your daughter, mother and wife can also be stripped. What would you say if that were to happen?"
}