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{
    "id": 669994,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/669994/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 178,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. I wish to support this Bill, but with amendments. I do not want to be repetitive. Members have spoken to a lot of issues that are addressed here. I want to say that this is a very important Bill, especially as we are getting into the elections and for women. Part of the reasons why I say I am going to propose amendments - and I hope the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs will be able to adopt some amendments--- I know part of the issues we have spoken to is educational standards, I would be very happy to support a situation where everybody has a degree. Unfortunately, the reality is that many women, because of years of marginalisation, have no degrees and diplomas. Given that this House has failed to pass the two-thirds gender rule, providing for degrees will marginalise women further. We have many women, even in this House, who have proven that what one needs to lead is not degrees. It is the ability to very ably represent your people and articulate issues on the ground for your people. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, because of those years of marginalisation, many women will not come here if we say “degrees”. You know how hostile the political field is for women. It is difficult for most people but, especially, to women. Those of us who are women and who have chosen to get into that field are considered as deviants, weird, abnormal and all the negative names you can imagine. For the ones who are not married, they are considered unmarriageable. No unmarried woman wants to get into politics because of the way it has been configured, especially against women. If we want to draw from the spectrum of women who have degrees, I assure you we will have very few. I know this House has quite a number of women with degrees but, we also have an equally high number of women who do not have them. As I speak, Hon. Naomi Shaban and I have just come from a meeting with several women members of the county assemblies. I am glad I came in time and got this debate. They told us we must voice their concerns when this Bill comes. Their concern is that many of them do not have the requirements. There are women who spoke there powerfully. We went to mentor them but many of them ended up mentoring us. It is because they have so much wealth of wisdom that some of us who have been in this field for long do not have. They live in the grassroots. They know things and feel the pulse on the ground which we do not feel. Therefore, if we want to equate degrees to that, we will fail. If we were a generous country, many of those women would have honorary degrees. I would support it only if we, perhaps say, you have a degree or an honorary degree. An honorary degree would be for a woman who went up to Class One, but has a wealth of experience which is much more than Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo’s degrees, masters and Doctorates of Philosophy (PhDs). We have women who have such wealth of knowledge and experience. So, I do not support degrees, especially for women. The other thing I would like to say is on the provisions on nominations. I know that the issue of nominations is a big problem for women as we are going to elections. Even as we go to elections, we failed to pass the one-third gender rule as a House. That 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."
}