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{
    "id": 677329,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/677329/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 283,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ghati",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 856,
        "legal_name": "Dennitah Ghati",
        "slug": "dennitah-ghati"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for considering gender in terms of discussion around the military and the KDF. At the outset, I want to say that I am a member of the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations. What the Chair has presented is the truth. I thank KDF because they took us through a lot of understanding of the Act. This is exactly what we are talking about here. The provision I am very happy with in this Bill is that the KDF is looking at the issue of the health of their officers very seriously. The Act talks about KDF officers who sustain wounds, injuries or contract illnesses while on military service. These officers are entitled to be provided with medical, dental, psychological or other treatments that arise in the course of duty. In very many centres and circles, this is an issue. When somebody sustains injuries or becomes disabled while on duty, that usually becomes the end. I am very happy that this Bill is seriously looking at the issue of compensation of the officers who sustain injury while on duty and also compensate their families. This is because their families have sacrificed a lot for these officers. Second is the issue of recruitment. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, allow me to talk about the issue of gender. It is a well- known fact that the military of Kenya or any other place is highly masculine. The issue of gender in the military is never considered. The issue of gender is very strict and so the military usually locks out a lot of women in terms of even rising in positions of leadership. I will support amendments that ensure that recruitment centres for the KDF are devolved to the constituency or sub-county level. We have chiefs, Deputy County Commissioners and other leaders at the grassroots level who are able to identify people so that we recruit members into the military. The issue of gender and quotas for women should be a very serious issue. We have to ensure that we have quotas for women such that every constituency has and knows that they have several slots. We can even have five slots for women so that women are able to join the military. In Migori County where I come from, we have slots for women but we have many stringent requirements. They have to run. We call it positive discrimination. We have to positively discriminate to make sure we reach the quotas for women who join the military. I will suggest such an amendment to ensure that recruitment centres go to the local people so that slots for women from Got Kachola, Nyatike and Timaru in Kuria East are known. I want to support the amendments to the Kenya Defence Forces (Amendment) Bill with suggestions that will ensure that there are known quotas for women who want to join the military. We are not putting stringent measures for women who want to join the KDF. 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."
}