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{
    "id": 824425,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/824425/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 432,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kandara, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Alice Wahome",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1700,
        "legal_name": "Alice Muthoni Wahome",
        "slug": "alice-muthoni-wahome"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I was aware that Hon. Sophia was in Gatundu North Constituency with Hon. Wanjiku Kibeh, representing us there at the Huduma Mashinani Services. We support that particular project. It is doing a lot. I rise to reply to this Motion. I have listened to various contributors and very important issues and concerns have been raised by Members. The call of action has been referred to. I want to go through four issues they have raised. On the question of single mothers, Members have applauded the fact that we are calling for a Widows Bill to be enacted, which was one of the outcomes of the CSW. That means any Member could pick that issue and run with it. The case of early pregnancies has been raised, where underage girls sometimes get impregnated by relatives and men who are the age of their grandfathers and fathers. We need to eradicate that practice. They are called traditional practices, but most of the time they are criminal activities. They do not sit well with protecting the girl- child. We have also seen cases of the boy-child. It has been noted that we need to include men and boys in the empowerment of women. We should not be speaking to the converted; we should be speaking to those who we want to collaborate and partner with, including our spouses, friends and boyfriends. The call to action numbers three and nine have been noted as critical. Somebody has talked of the Witness Protection Act. The Member for Nyandarua has referred to several success stories in terms of gender-friendly legislation that has been enacted such as the Gender Violence Protection Act, the Sexual Offences Act, the Marriage Act and the Matrimonial Property Act. The Government has been urged to take up the case for most of the calls to action to be brought to the level of policy documents, so that the documents can inform the way forward, the planning and the implementation of some of the laws. We have good policies, as somebody has said, but implementation has been a challenge considering when the Beijing Call for Action came into being and the follow-up meetings, including the Nairobi Conference, and the Beijing Plus 5. Many Members have participated, including men from this House. I want to join those who are congratulating the CSW delegation of this year, facilitated also by the Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, to have come up with this Report with the support services of the team from this Parliament. I am told that it is the first Report to be tabled in the House and to be debated despite the fact that CSW meetings have previously been held and this Parliament has attended. No report has had its day in the House. This is the first one, so it should be noted. The questions of wealth, school fees, cash transfers, employment for women, equal pay for equal work and others should be coordinated under a proper framework, like the Member for Ijara is calling for. There has been interest in the contributors. Members have shown sufficient support for this Report and I acknowledge it. Hon. Wanyonyi said that women are enemies of themselves; the pull-her-down syndrome. We want to disabuse the Floor and Members of that saying. We call it a stereotype. These statements made by Hon. Members sometimes like Hon. Wanyonyi, should not be repeated and must be negated by this House. Although we recognise the need for women to work together, we are stronger together than working alone. That we can accept and reject those kind of stereotypes. We are urging Hon. Members like Wanyonyi to support women to come up The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}