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{
    "id": 718841,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/718841/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 202,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Okoth",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12482,
        "legal_name": "Kenneth Odhiambo Okoth",
        "slug": "kenneth-odhiambo-okoth"
    },
    "content": "The other Members will touch on this Bill, but I think Kenyans are interested and would have loved to put it on notice. For instance, what type of death is deemed suspicious, that will have to be reported and investigated? So, it is any death that has a matter of violence, medical negligence, misconduct, malpractice, cases of suicide, homicide and accidents, deaths during pregnancy or circumstances that may be attributable to Section 24 of the Bill. It talks about deaths from disease or sickness which were not treated by legally qualified medical practitioners. Occupation and work place related deaths need to be added there because a lot of people might die from being exposed to chemicals in an industry, a flower farm and those types of things needs to be covered. Once these reportable deaths are done, there is the nature of reporting. Even deaths in custody, when police take somebody and the next day the person is dead or they are released and they die within a few hours because they might have been tortured under police or military custody or were taken by the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS). We have seen a lot of these cases in this country and they must be investigated. Deaths that occur after surgical procedures within a short time are things that must be looked at. So, there is a whole range of deaths in Section 28 that must be investigated. The law is very clear as we are proposing it on what the report should constitute on the cause of death, place, possible perpetrators and the report will be prima facie evidence for prosecution of an inquest. That can be handed over to the DPP and the police to do their work in the criminalistics and others to help promote the rule of justice in Kenya. With those few remarks, I must say on my own behalf and on behalf of the Parliamentary Human Rights Caucus, it is something we have been paying attention to in the last three years. I am happy it has come to the tail end of the Parliament. I hope Members will support us to pass it through Third Reading quickly along with the leadership of the House under Hon. Duale. It will be a Bill that Kenyans can benefit from once it is signed by the President as the law. Thank you and I beg to second."
}