Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 645120,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/645120/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 143,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 153,
        "legal_name": "David Aoko Were",
        "slug": "david-were"
    },
    "content": "have doped and have unfair advantage over the rest. Where doping is involved, we cannot tell whether competitors win genuinely or through cheating. That is why the WADA has insisted that we must have this law in place; they have been doubtful that we have been winning fairly. That is why it is necessary that this Bill is passed. Hon. Speaker, the other intention of the Bill is to protect the health of athletes. This is paramount because the long-term effects of using prohibited substances are grave. What happens to, say, ladies after using some of these prohibited substances? Their voices change from soprano to bass. The substances cause beards and a lot of hair to grow all over their bodies, their breasts and ovaries shrink and dry up and they increasing become aggressive. Girls become very aggressive when they take these substances. The substances change girls into men, and they eventually become sterile. Those are some of the effects of prohibited substances on women. The prohibited substances cause the male sexual organs to shrink, disable testicles from generating sperms, cause early cancers of the liver and other body parts, and eventual sterility. Men become incapable of fathering children. One of the prohibited substances is called “erythropoietin”. It is a commonly used doping drug that has very serious health effects. A few Kenyans, like our marathon queen Rita Jeptoo, have been accused of using it. The substance causes the blood to thicken, induces hypertension and leads to cerebral convulsions, thromboembolism, heart attack and stroke. Dr. Nyikal understands what I am talking about. It has been observed that some athletes have collapsed and died because of use of these substances during training or normal activities. When we were in Mombasa over the weekend, Hon. Wesley Korir was very passionate about this Bill. He gave us examples of five young athletes who have lost their lives over the last one month. They just collapsed and died. Their deaths have been connected to the use of prohibited substances. Therefore, I urge Members to support this Bill so that we protect the lives of our athletes. The Bill has been summarised very well by the Leader of the Majority Party and the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, who have taken us through the various clauses as required. I also noticed that the agency proposed by the WADA requires independence so that its funding can be guaranteed. There is fear that the agency might not function properly if its funding will be coming through the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts. There is a proposal that its funding be secured and charged to the Consolidated Fund. I also noticed that some of the penalties provided under Clause 42 are very lenient. The Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has come up with proposals on how to enhance the penalties with a view to deterring athletes from using prohibited substances. I also noticed that there are parts which have not been covered in the definitions. In our Report, we have enumerated the proposed amendments. We have captured all the proposed amendments in order to guide Hon. Members accordingly during the Committee of the whole House. That Report will be tabled tomorrow. We cannot proceed to the Committee of the whole House because we are still receiving submissions from stakeholders. The exercise will close on Thursday evening. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}