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{
    "id": 542863,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/542863/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 297,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Shebesh",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 377,
        "legal_name": "Rachel Wambui Shebesh",
        "slug": "rachel-shebesh"
    },
    "content": "more or less considered at this point an advisory body. However, the protocol which was approved by the African Union Summit; and which I am happy to note that the Leader of the Majority Party laid on the Table today, suggests that in future we will be electing Members of PAP through universal suffrage and that will be in accordance with the way we currently elect Members to represent us in the East African Legislative Assembly. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, much of the work that we do at PAP deals with the current issues that are bedeviling the continent. I will go through some of those issues. I want to note that, that particular session was opened by the President of Mali, His Excellency Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. He was our chief guest. I am pleased to say that with regard to the next session which will start in May, our President, hon. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta will be the one opening it. Some of the issues we talked about and which may be of interest to this House are issues that are currently bedeviling the African Continent, as I have said before. One of the issues we discussed was mobilization around the issue of Ebola . Everybody knows that Ebola hit Liberia and Sierra Leone. We requested all Heads of State to increase substantially the financial, logistical and human resource support to Ebola -affected areas. It is important for us to note that our country is one of those that responded. We have sent nurses and doctors to these affected areas so that we also learn about the Ebola virus that has taken Africa by storm and is creating a backlog even in economic development. We also spoke about the ongoing actions to obtain the release of the 300 young Nigerian girls abducted by the terrorist group known as Boko Haram . The PAP decided to express its solidarity with the families of the abducted girls and vehemently condemned all forms of violence perpetrated against women in general and these abducted girls in particular. We requested that measures be taken for the unconditional release of the abducted girls and appealed to the authorities in Nigeria as well as international community to take further action to secure their release. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we spoke about the issue of transitional justice. The PAP recommends that the PAP Members mobilize their national Parliaments for the adoption and popularization of the Transitional Justice Policy Framework (TJPF). We also asked the African Union (AU) to develop guidelines for establishment of truth commissions in Africa. We urged that the AU develops guidelines for implementation of reparation of victims of abuse; and member States to ratify the amended protocol of the African Court on Human and People’s Rights and ensure its greater jurisdiction as well as promote the mechanisms of transitional justice. This was a very sensitive issue and the debate on it was a heated one. There were mixed reactions to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at this particular time and some members felt that an African court would solve for us our problems. Others thought that the ICC should remain. So, that was our recommendation. On issue of persons with disability, PAP recommended that governments should raise awareness among its members of society on issues related to people with disabilities. Members of PAP should then disseminate the Maputo Protocol relating to the rights of persons with disability in their national parliaments as well as schools and universities to raise awareness amongst the youth to matters relating to persons with disability. 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."
}