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{
    "id": 907518,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/907518/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 319,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. I would like to congratulate Sen. Sylvia Kasanga for being the architect of this piece of legislation. I encourage other Members to also sponsor such Bills that look at the needs of the society. This is why we are here. Apart from coming up with such legislation, Sen. Kasanga has also been able to carry the whole of this House along. She has done an amazing job of raising awareness in both the mainstream and social media on this subject. This is a conversation that this country needs to have. These are issues we grapple with daily in this country. In my county, this matter is almost reaching epidemic levels, yet the kind of attention and support it gets from policy makers is not commensurate to the effect this has. I am the patron of a foundation named after the son of a friend of mine who took his life. It is called The Joshua Gathua Foundation. Despite coming from a good background, the young man, because of the pressure he was going through, one day instead of going to school, asked for some time alone. He went upstairs in their house, got into his dad’s safe, took a gun and shot himself. After the mourning period, we started a foundation where we provide these services to many young people. We held our first football tournament along Ngong Road and so many young people came. During that tournament there were two tents for free counseling. One was for the young people and the other for the adults. The lines of people who wanted to talk to us were enormous. This shows that many of our young people are not being told that they can talk to someone despite the fact that there are helplines, where one can get further help if they are suffering from mental illness. The lines for adults were empty because we like pretending. If you look at how we behave, we are the ones who need that kind of support. Madam Temporary Speaker, the stigma associated with mental illness prevents us from getting to those who require the support. Many of us even in Parliament; the National Assembly and the Senate should evaluate the kind of support we get, based on our mental health. In the last Parliament, a colleague whom I will not mention had some mental breakdown. I think it became bipolar. Since it was not covered by our insurance then, the Member stormed the Speaker’s office and said: “Are you saying that my psychiatrist cannot be paid on this Ksh10 million cover?” After that, the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) added that category of healthcare providers. You will be shocked to realize that among the healthcare providers 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."
}