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{
    "id": 718833,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/718833/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Okoth",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12482,
        "legal_name": "Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth",
        "slug": "kenneth-odhiambo-okoth"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I thank the Leader of the Majority Party for moving this Bill which is very timely. I thank you for the kind words in asking me to second it. I rise to second and support this Bill. This Bill is very important, first, for context. The Attorney-General and Kenyan Government officials are called every couple of years to report on the status and conditions of our human rights. This is according to the treaties that we have signed and other obligations. In fact, the President, during the state of the nation address brings one special report, as required by the Constitution, on the status of our undertaking international obligations. He also brings other reports on national security and national values. It is, therefore, on that context that this Bill is important. During the last universal peer review undertaken by the African Commission on People and Human rights in Banjul, Kenya was told to come up with laws like the National Coroner Service Act and the Prevention of Torture Act, which is also on the Order Paper. I am delighted to note that it has been brought by the Leader of the Majority Party. These are rules of justice and access to justice questions. Sustainable Development Goal 16 relates to access to justice and the rule of law. If you think about the functions of coroners, as laid out by the Leader of the Majority Party, it will be enhancing the rule of law in Kenya. It will also enhance access to justice. In case of a natural death occurring, you can actually have proper investigations and credibly establish prima facie evidence from a competent authority. The Constitution of Kenya, 2010, in the Bill of Rights, speaks to issues such equal protection under the law, fair administrative action, right to life and dignity. These are all important issues that you see amongst the poorest people in Kenya in our current regime. If you need a post-mortem or a professional death investigation and you are poor, you will not get it in this country. However, now that we are passing this law, everyone will have access to it. That is good and it promotes the rule of law, adherence to human rights and dispensation of justice for all Kenyans regardless of whether or not they can afford death investigation. This includes a professional post-mortem. The National Coroner Service (NCS) will allow us to have a Coroner-General with teams of staff in various regions of the country. If possible, we can have coroners in all the counties. In case it is not possible to have them across the counties, at the beginning we can have them in several regions of the country. This will allow that office to operate with a council of many Principal Secretaries, representatives of the various medical practitioners’ bodies and the Law Society of Kenya to come together and oversee that service. It must be an independent and 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."
}