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{
    "id": 660565,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/660565/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 91,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Speaker Sir, I apologise that you called for the order when I was away. I beg to move that the Anti-Doping (Amendment Bill) National Assembly Bill No: 17 of 2016 be read a Second Time. As you have already guided this House, hon. Senators, we are all aware that we did a good job last time, in terms of trying to rescue our sportsmen and women from the indignity of being thrown out of the forthcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The reason we hurriedly passed the Anti-Doping Bill last Month was because we had an international deadline. I thank all colleagues across the political divide, because when this issue came, we did not have any differences, and we were all agreed that there was need to comply with the international deadline. It appeared that what we passed had a number of shortcomings. The mistake was not done by the National Assembly or the Senate. It came from the differences at the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry; in terms of trying to interpret the international obligations and making them part of national law. They may have missed some points in terms of making sure that the UNESCO Convention against Doping in Sports is now translated into Kenyan law, as well as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules. The shortcomings which were highlighted later were not a consequence of lack of seriousness by the National Assembly or the Senate. The second point is that, besides the requirements by the WADA, there is a bit of international politics involved. As a Kenyan, I can say that a number of people out there will not mind if Kenya does not participate in this year’s Olympics. There have been unconfirmed reports, which I have reason to believe could be true, that a number of countries that have been trying to put a lot of money in sports, especially in athletics, to try and overcome our dominant position which we have retained for so many years now. Such countries have been celebrating silently, and even lobbying. The reason I believe that there could be competitors of Kenya who may not be interested in us participating in the forthcoming Olympic Games, is because our country is the third country in the world which has aligned its law with the international standards on anti-doping, yet we know countries with very serious doping problems but there is no pressure, deadline and ultimatums. When our team, the Cabinet Secretaries for Sports and Foreign Affairs and the other team of technocrats went to Ottawa, Canada, they raised the issue. They asked why Kenya was being more pressurized than any other country. They got a report in terms of a diplomatic answer that since Kenya is a leader in athletics, it must lead by example by first aligning its law with international standards and other countries would follow. I want to bring this background so that we see the predicament we are in. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}