MPs: Bill harsh to special groups

By Faith Ronoh

Kenya: The contentious Marriage Bill has continued to elicit heated reactions following amendments approved by Parliament last week.

At the weekend, nominated MP Isaac Mwaura  regretted that the move to amend clause 11 of the Bill by adding two other subsections to favour persons with disabilities failed to sail through.

According to Mwaura, Parliament erred by stigmatising those with mental conditions on their capacity to give consent to marriage. “Persons with disabilities too  have the capacity to love and discriminating against them only amounts to ignorance.

Nominated Senator Godliver Omondi said it was a pity that persons with disabilities have been left out in major decisions, terming the passage of the Bill as a show of lack of goodwill especially to such people.

Nyandarua County Women representative Ms Wanjiku Muhia also took issue with the bill saying: “Clause 11 was the most unfortunate idea in the Marriage Bill.”