Prof. Margaret Kamar

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 671 to 680 of 3067.

• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: I was privileged to Chair the public hearing of this Bill. We even learnt more during this public hearing than what we had drafted because we had parents of the deaf coming in. These parents said that they first encountered deafness when they gave birth to a deaf child. This is when they asked themselves at what point they were supposed to know how to communicate with a deaf child. In fact, one of the parents suggested that all Kenyans should learn how to communicate in sign language because you never know until you have a deaf child. view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: Some of the parents thanked the Senate for fishing out one of the most important rights of children that seem to have been ignored for a very long time. Going back to the Kenyan sign language which as I said is a means to communicate, we tell ourselves that when we go to school, we learn how to communicate in Kiswahili or English where the blind use the braille and the deaf use sign language. That is a means of communication. But beyond there, you then develop yourself to be a professional. view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: The question that Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve has asked, and which I want this Senate to keep thinking about - even as we develop this Bill – is where the deaf people in the professions that we have in this country are. A deaf person can see, write and calculate. How come we do not have deaf accountants? How come we do not have them in professions that do not require too much hearing? view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is an area that has been limited. I looked at my secretary and I say, she would have been a professor for all you could see. She is extremely intelligent. You send her and she writes down what she has been asked. She can withdraw money from a bank. She does not have to do much talking when she is cashing money. There is also no need to communicate to a cashier. So, how come we do not have our deaf as cashiers in banks yet you are not supposed to be communicating with a ... view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: Looking at this, you realise that for a very long time, we have under-developed the deaf. We have not realized that they are extremely intelligent human beings. They are okay in everything except the fact that they do not have a sense of hearing. It is possible to develop the deaf to the highest level possible. They can be anything and they can do anything. view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: This Bill is, therefore, going beyond the language. It is looking at how we as a country should use the sign language to enable all Kenyans to enjoy their rights, especially the deaf. I like Article 6 that talks about the use of sign language in legal 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. view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: proceedings. Many people have suffered because of misrepresentations. The elderly and the illiterate have suffered enough but they have their own ability to argue and fight back when they hear. view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: In this case, the deaf do not get to know what the judge is saying. God forbid, they will be betrayed, if they have taken someone who is ready to betray them. So, it is extremely important that for avoidance of misrepresentation and deaf enjoying the right to legal services, that we actually use sign language in the legal proceedings, alongside all the other languages. This is a language too. Those who cannot speak in English, their proceedings should be in Kiswahili. They should be asked questions in Kiswahili. The same thing should apply to the deaf. They need to ... view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: I recommended some of them to come to Karen Technical School, but then cartels stops them. From Class Eight, they go straight to a technical institution instead of progressing, whereas there has to be progression. We are hoping that when this Bill is passed, we can ask the county governments, not only to promote this sign language by promoting schools for the deaf, but also promoting schools for progression so that we have certain primary and secondary schools. Beyond that, we expect that the CS, through institutions of higher learning and technical colleges, will facilitate the progression of this young ... view
• 20 Nov 2019 in Senate: As I talk of progression, it means the learning of the sign language will not only be confined to those who will use it for communication, but we, as parents and communities must learn it. I dare say that as the CS is promoting the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), this should be one of subjects to be introduced in primary schools. We know that children can learn anything, anytime. You can teach them three languages and they will distinguish them. This is one language that we need to interest our children to learn. As much as we want our children ... view