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{
"id": 60273,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/60273/?format=api",
"text_counter": 257,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Mugo",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Public Health and Sanitation",
"speaker": {
"id": 85,
"legal_name": "Beth Wambui Mugo",
"slug": "beth-mugo"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, having said that, I also want to focus on the issues that have been hotly debated in our country recently especially the ICC cases which we cannot divorce from our national interests. This is because they affect a big proportion of our country. As I thank our brothers in the ODM for the stand they took yesterday after realizing that the best judgment can come from our soil and not from somebody elseâs house--- I have said before that even when we want to discipline our children, we do not send them to our neighbours, we discipline them in our houses. That is why we were very concerned when some of our colleagues issued statements to the effect that we must go to The Hague. The people who said they wanted The Hague at that time were aware that we have a new Constitution. The same reason that made ODM feel uncomfortable going to court at that time is the same reason that made the people who supported The Hague oppose local tribunal. These people were not comfortable with the way the Judiciary operated at that time. So we must stop passing the buck and always saying, âWe said Hague, you said whatâŚâ Whatever was said at that time does not hold anymore, because we have a new dispensation. We are making our institutions credible. We must make use of them, so that the whole world can see we have moved. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I only have a problem when the ODM says that they do not support deferral. I feel that it is double standards. If you do not support deferral and the cases are started at The Hague, because we cannot wait for that one year, it will mean that we cannot move the cases here. It would be difficult to move the cases because judges, who are not in our jurisdiction, will have already started the cases. I do not know how that can be done. I would ask our colleagues in the ODM to reconsider that position. Saying that you will support deferral for one year does not mean losing the case in any way. It just means that we realized that we can have those cases here; the only way to have them here is for us all to ask for deferral, so that they are not started there and then later on we try to move them here. This is not practical. I hope that the ODM will also communicate the same message to the ICC and the Security Council of the United Nations (UN), so that as Kenyans we are seen to be talking with one voice. This would make us more credible. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, moving to accidents on our roads which concern my Ministry, we are supposed to protect lives. Recently, my Ministry, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), launched road safety programme in Naivasha at a hotspot there. This programme is also supposed to cover Thika Road. The WHO and other donors gave equipment to the police to check speed given that most deaths result from over-speeding. There is also a programme for boda riders; they are expected to wear helmets. We supplied helmets to two routes. This is a programme we hope to replicate in the whole country, especially at hotspots, so that we can reduce deaths. We want to ask our road users, especially matatu drivers to take care and know that they carry lives. Many pedestrians are killed, especially children, when crossing roads going to schools. As drivers, we have to practise care. The law can only do so much; the rest remains with us as individuals. Therefore, I want to urge road users, especially drivers of public service vehicles, to be extra careful so that we can reduce the number of deaths on roads. Kenya is rated among the 15 countries with the highest deaths from road carnage. That is not something we can be proud of. We must get out of that list. We have been given very good roads. Road networks are working everywhere, and more are being constructed. They should promote road safety and not more deaths. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to touch on the IDPs and commend the Government. This is because it is true that a large number of IDPs has been settled. I was with some of the people who came from Eldora, Noriega Farm, Burnt Forest and Kiema and they are saying new houses have been reconstructed on their own land. Now they are able to work on their land and make use of the rain to plant more food. We also want to accept that there are those who have not been settled, and urge the two Ministries to make more effort to settle the few remaining IDPs, so that come end of this year we will not have IDPs in our country. As we keep on saying, that is part of giving them justice. I still hold that giving justice is Kenyaâs responsibility. Also on reconciliation, they were narrating to me how they are promoting reconciliation on their own. We can give more support to this group. With those words, I support."
}