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    "id": 719310,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/719310/?format=api",
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    "content": "We also have the Bill of Exchange Act, Cap 27 which is being proposed for amendment. This is simple. When this Act was enacted, it referred to the Bill of Exchange within East Africa. That time, the East African Countries were just three, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Now that Rwanda and Burundi have joined, there is need to include the definition of East Africa with respect to the Bill of Exchange to include Rwanda, Burundi and other countries which became members of the East African Community (EAC) like South Sudan in the recent past. This is for purposes of recognition of the Bill of Exchange drawn therein as inland Bill under the Act. The Bill is also meant to ease trade within the EAC. We are now moving towards a political federation within the EAC. We are much ahead in terms of business and, therefore, there is need to ease trade within the East African bloc. There is a prohibition of Offenders Act, Cap 64. As I said earlier, some of the proposal for amendment is just to align the terminologies with the current Constitution. The other proposal for amendment is the Prison Act, Cap 90. The Bill proposes to amend the principal Act of the Prison Act to harmonise the terms of the Act with the Constitution. Some of the words being used in the old Constitution are not there anymore. We, therefore, intended to extend the police powers conferred to the prisons officers to apply in the performance of all their duties under the Act. It is expected to enhance cooperation between the two services. We now have a National Police Service where all the police fall under. Therefore, the powers that are given to the members of the National Police Service are also extended to prison officers so that the two services can work together. There is also the need to provide categorisation and custody of prisons taking into account the safety of prisoners and the members of the public especially in light of radicalisation. A lot of radicalisation takes place in prisons. We have seen many cases. You take prisoners who have been hardcore criminals and have been sentenced for committing serious crimes and they have been radicalised and then you put them in the same cell with those who have committed what we call petty offences. There is need to separate them and categorise them to avoid radicalisation taking place in prisons. I also want to say that the proposal is meant to remove the concept of hard labour from the Act in case it is construed to mean servitude. This will be contrary to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the treatment of prisoners which is commonly known as “Mandela Rules”. Therefore, we are removing the concept and the definition of hard labour. The proposal is also meant to empower the Cabinet Secretary to make regulations on engagement by the prison service with partners and stakeholders. A prison should be a correctional place. Because of correctional services, many stakeholders chip in to ensure that those who are put there can be made better citizens of this country. Therefore, the Cabinet 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."
}