MP roots for translation of laws into Kiswahili

Cases of bewildered suspects appearing in court with no clue of the gravity of charges facing them due to existing language barriers could be a thing of the past if the National Assembly approves a motion seeking to translate all existing laws into the national language.

The motion by Joyce Lay (Taita Taveta) is seeking to have all Acts of Parliament progressively translated into Kiswahili to make them more accessible to ordinary Kenyans and enable suspects comprehend their contents.

“Deeply concerned that a section of Kenyans have a low level of knowledge of their legal rights and laws passed by this House as a result of the existing language barriers, this House urges the National Council for Law Reporting to progressively translate the laws into Kiswahili,” reads the motion slated in this week’s National Assembly Order paper.

Although the Constitution has a Swahili translation, Acts of Parliament have largely remained in English, making it difficult for ordinary Kenyans to understand their contents. Controversial bills such as the Marriage Bill have also been open to misinterpretations and peddling of half-truths.

Monday, Lay told The Standard that the motion seeks to cure some of the ills brought by lack of Kiswahili versions of various laws. According to her, ordinary Kenyans are unable to grasp the impact of laws that directly affect them.

“We are ignoring the fact that a large population is illiterate. The laws belong to the people and there is no way we can continue making laws that they don’t understand. When the Marriage Bill was passed, husbands were telling their wives the law allowed them to marry second wives,” she said.