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"id": 905127,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/905127/?format=api",
"text_counter": 248,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 440,
"legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
"slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
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"content": "Local Government. He started a robust project of dealing with street children. This is what led to the SFRTF. The question of how to protect street families and children for that matter has been on and off from the core of our national responsibility. If you want to know what is more valued in a nation, you look at the budget to see how much money has been put in place, for example, in the SFRTF and the attention to street families. It has become normal for people not to care about those who are in the streets. In fact, we have debated in this House twice when children in Eldoret were removed and dumped somewhere in Busia and others were removed from Nakuru and dumped somewhere in Chemususu Forest. It is as though street children and families are part of the garbage in the City. So, to make the City clean and beautiful, they must be cleaned and wiped out of the streets. That attitude must change. We must change from that perspective of seeing human beings as part of the dirt in the City and start to see them as human beings fearfully and wonderfully created by the image of God. They deserve the protection of the State. That is why I am happy that Sen. Kwamboka has anchored her Motion on Article 43 of the Constitution which codifies what is known in the United Nations (UN) circles as social-economic rights. In the past, before the 2010 Constitution was established, social-economic rights were part of wish lists of human rights. However, under our Constitution, they are the integral part of the rights that must be achieved as a nation just like first generation of rights. That the right to life to be achieved, there must be a right to housing, clean water, and medical care. That is why these rights, in Chapter 4 of the Constitution do not distinguish the status. It does not say that they are available for elite or to children of those who have means. It says that it is the responsibility of the State to ensure that its citizens achieve the right to food in adequate quantity and quality, medical care, housing and clean water. That is why we need leaders like Sen. Kwamboka who come to specific areas like street families. We are trying to provide these rights to everybody else. However, what happens to that person who sleeps at Luthuli Avenue or the person you will find in Grogon, the ones around Ngara or the ones that live around Railway? The issue of street families is not unique to Kenya alone, it is a global problem. Therefore, we must ask ourselves what the other countries have done to support those who are vulnerable. When we talk about social fund that is administered by the Ministry of Labour Social Security and Services, we are transferring certain amounts of money to take care of the disabled and the elderly. What are we are doing about street families and who exactly are identified as street families? That is why I am happy that Sen. Kwamboka says that we must conduct a census of street families in all urban areas in the country to determine their numbers and demographics. We cannot reach out to those we do not know where they are. So, the first step is to ensure that we have the numbers of these street families. Secondly, is to develop a clear policy on street families‟ rehabilitation and reintegration at county level. We have this national entity called the SFRTF. However, how can we reach out to these people properly if we do not take it to the county level? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}