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"id": 1555512,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555512/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
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"content": "time you are telling them I do not want to ring-fence it under menstrual hygiene products, I am saying that this money for general supplies can be used for sanitary pads. So, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the theft I am talking about is that, you are aware as a cabinet secretary, accounting officer, or an officer of a ministry that the budget is for sanitary pads. However, more often than not in the past, you find that because it is listed as general supplies, that is the same money that is used for Any other Business (AOB) within that ministry. They would then find justifications to say, in any case, we have distributed 300,000 pads and maybe they do not need the other pads. As the women of Kenya, we have always been sidelined when it comes to gender- sensitive budgeting. So, when I talk of theft, I am also talking about theft within the budget allocation, spending of money that is supposed to be for sanitary pads and now is being rerouted to do other things. In the last financial year after we fought and I told the President that we bleed and need more money, he agreed and lobbied the National Assembly and all other actors in terms of budget allocation and we got Kshs1 billion. To date, there is no clarity on how this Kshs1 billion was spent in totality. I have brought a statement on the Floor of this House asking the Accounting Officer in the Ministry of Gender that was handling this money to give us clarity and transparency in terms of how the money came in, how it was spent and how it was distributed and these are the number of people or beneficiaries? We got a very sketchy response. It is another area that I want to see. I want to legislate and go down in the history of this country that for the first time on a matter that deals with women, particularly girls; vulnerable girls. We are choosing to legislate to end that theft in terms of budget allocation, budget expenditure and even the distribution of whatever items that are bought for these beneficiaries who are at the grassroots level. As I get into my conclusion, there was worry that by creating a county-level interdepartmental committee, we are just trying to create positions for Kenyans. I have had many arguments with people in and outside Parliament, in my family sittings, with friends and foes. I asked them, ‘you people do not want this Bill because it is creating another committee at the county level? How do you want ensure that the money is actually appropriated to the beneficiary that it was intended for?’ Someone came up with a suggestion that since bursary is given to every student, why not map out the girls and add the money for the pads into it, so that it can go to all girls to buy pads for them? Let us be honest with each other in this House, who does the bursary go to? It goes to the parent. More often than not, it goes to the father and he will decide on how to use it. Even if it goes to the mother, most of these households have decided that there should be a lot of shaming around menstruation. That is why I have run a campaign over the last three years. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you find that even some of the Members in both Houses; the Senate and the National Assembly, when their daughters or their nieces, come to them saying, please can I have Kshs500 for my personal use? They start asking them, what personal use? Why do you need Kshs500? Mr. Temporary Speaker, we all know very well, unless the Government of Kenya is actually procuring that sanitary towel and giving it down to the beneficiary, if we will now give money that is intended to buy sanitary towels to a father or a mother, we will be The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1555513,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555513/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "going around in circles. This is because we all know in these tough economic times, some other items will be prioritised more than sanitary towels. My thinking and the proposal of this Bill was that the actual items, which is the sanitary pads, be bought. Who will buy the pads? Who will decide which pads to be bought? It is not someone sitting in the Ministry of Gender here in Nairobi, it is a committee at the grassroots level. I come from Kisii County, Bobasi Constituency. We have eight wards. Down at the ward level, at bare minimum, there will be a representation of those wards in that committee. In that committee, there will be a champion at the grassroots level who will say I have been championing this campaign. I have been going around in this constituency and these are the pain points and these are the vulnerable schools. At the county level, the county will be able to tell you that they are not interested in purchasing those imported Chinese products. It is at the county level, they will have a high uptake of such items such as locally made reusable sanitary towels. However, when you come to the Ministry level on a national platform, there is no way you will convince them that now we will start purchasing reusable pads. The stakeholders and the players at the national level will actually argue out that it is nothing, but that it is too complicated. So, what this Bill is actually trying to do is to take the powers from the national level and tell them, at the national level, you will sit, deliberate and give monies to the different counties. These committees are in different counties. At the county level, it is those members of that county committee who will then sit and say, in Kisii County, for example, we will no longer allow such and such product. This is because we have done our research and that product is actually causing infections. So, in Kisii County, we will procure A, B, C, D. Right now, there is no flexibility for the end user to pick what is procured in terms of sizes, quality and so on. There is no chance at the grassroots level for them to say probably all of them are vulnerable in terms of access to menstrual hygiene products. However, there is this particular school that is beyond vulnerable and maybe should be prioritised because of the budgetary limitations. That is what this Bill is trying to do; to devolve this particular programme down to the beneficiaries. We want them to feel the impact of a Government programme, attest and say that Government is actually intentionally ending period poverty. Mr. Temporary Speaker, I want to conclude by saying there was an argument about whether I should be the one to propose and table this Bill in the Senate; the ‘upper’ House or not. You know when people realise that your intention is for the people, to move a budget from here to there and to seal the loopholes that are encouraging corruption, the first thing they will say is that you cannot move that Bill in the Senate because it is a money Bill. I have challenged many people. Is there a Bill in both Houses that does not speak or touch on resources? More often than not, all the Bills, in one way or another, will touch or speak on resources. I am not trying to take away the mandate of the National Assembly, which is about allocating monies. The whole budgetary mandates that they have as a House. Part 3(16)A, on the financial provisions, says- “(1) the funds of the committee shall comprise of, one, monies that are appropriated by the National Assembly. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
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"id": 1555514,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555514/?format=api",
"text_counter": 374,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(ii) such monies as may accrue to or vest in the committee in the course of the exercise of its power or the performance of its function under this Act. (iii) all monies from any other source provided for donations or lent to the committee.” This will also give us reprieve. Some of us champions who are out in the field trying to convince donors to come and help in the initiatives that we have, will now have a proper channel, a proper framework at the county level to be able to say, we are working with the county committee that deals with provision of free sanitary towels. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have had many international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) come to my office. They tell me that they are looking for ways to fund the Government of Kenya to the tune of billions, money that is particularly ring- fenced for provision of free sanitary towels. However, their biggest problem and challenge has been that they are not sure if we put it in the Ministry of Gender or Education or Health, it will go down to buying sanitary towels. They always say that we lack a framework. They always say that we lack monitoring and evaluation. They always say that we lack that goodwill from Government for us to be able to say that we will put in Kshs10 billion or whatever it is, that they are putting in. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if the House can allow me to just draw a reference. The moment the Ministry of Gender was able to create a proper framework for ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) through the Anti-FGM board, the international donors had faith, trust and belief that now finally through this framework, they could channel their money to end FGM. Some of us who have had experience and are in the field of gender mainstreaming and gender-related programmes will tell you sometimes even by the pronunciations of politicians or leaders or nominees, the budgets that were being proposed by donors, international community or partners of the Government are suddenly withdrawn."
},
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"id": 1555515,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555515/?format=api",
"text_counter": 375,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, through this Bill I am not encroaching on the mandate of the National Assembly, which is to legislate on money Bills. If this Bill passes, when they are doing the budgeting, they will consider the amount of money to allocate towards provision of free sanitary towels to all school girls and women in prisons."
},
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"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555516/?format=api",
"text_counter": 376,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I conclude by thanking all the Members in this House that have been very supporting. Even when opposing they were supporting because as they oppose, I then go and consider their thoughts. Therefore, I have been refining this legislation."
},
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"id": 1555517,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555517/?format=api",
"text_counter": 377,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I thank our Directorate of Legal Services under the leadership of Dr. Okello for assisting me to understand why certain Bills are drafted in a certain manner and also legislative procedures."
},
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"id": 1555518,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555518/?format=api",
"text_counter": 378,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I also thank the many followers in the public spaces particularly on social media who every day either by way of sarcasm of banter have been pushing this agenda on ending period poverty. I have a lot backlash for all the billboards I have erected in the Nairobi City County regarding ending period poverty. It is not about the billboards. Those billboards have brought in thousands of sanitary towel donations."
},
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"id": 1555519,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555519/?format=api",
"text_counter": 379,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I am sure every time you pass near those billboards you remember to provide sanitary pads for your daughters or nieces. I am sure that even Sen. Sifuna, every time he The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1555520,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555520/?format=api",
"text_counter": 380,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "sees those billboards, he remembers there is something he has to do in terms of budgeting. I even know that some of the Members in this House got to understand what period poverty is from my campaign."
},
{
"id": 1555521,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1555521/?format=api",
"text_counter": 381,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "I also thank my donors who have been very supportive. Today is a very historical day for me and in honour of Jackline Chepng’eno as I move this Bill. It has been a journey that I continue to walk and to stays strong."
}
]
}