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{
    "id": 690604,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/690604/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 192,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Waiganjo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2644,
        "legal_name": "John Muriithi Waiganjo",
        "slug": "john-muriithi-waiganjo"
    },
    "content": "him. I want to state clearly that this law was coming anyway. Let it not appear that this law has been brought by the Select Committee. In fact, the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs dealt with these matters before the Select Committee was formed. It has always been my opinion that the Select Committee, despite having done a good job, would have its work end up here in Parliament. Remember, people went to the streets. They lost their lives and properties were destroyed. This was to confirm that this House was not capable of doing legislation that would help the country because of the so called tyranny of numbers. However, all those activities were all in vain. Lives were lost and properties destroyed in vain. Sponsored skirmishes in our streets were done in vain. Businesses were disrupted and people lost properties in vain. All these things were done as a strategy by our colleagues in the opposite side of the House. If you look at the vanity of what we do in our political processes, you will appreciate that this House must claim back its independence and must do its work according to the provisions of the Constitution. I thank the Speaker for confirming to this House that he will allow amendments to these pieces of legislation. To claim that these laws will pass without amendments is to make this House a rubberstamp. In fact, we will be abdicating our roles under the Constitution. We will also be abdicating our honour and that of our constituencies when we come here to say that the Leader of the Majority and the Leader of the Minority are the only ones who can move amendments. So, I thank the Speaker for taking leadership and protecting Parliament as a legislature, that is, the only House that is mandated to make laws. The Electoral Offences Bill is long in coming. In fact, it is coming at the right time. The blocking of party-hopping, whereby Members would want to choose the party they would wish to sponsor them, is streamlined within the law. The Bill that we have already discussed is clear on the way forward in our electoral process. The only reason that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissions (IEBC) should be involved is to professionalise our electoral process and to make sure that the party primaries are conducted in a good way. It will ensure that party mandarins do not necessarily rig out popular candidates, therefore, circumventing the will of the people. If we have the IEBC conducting party primaries, there should not be an issue of party-hopping. People do not hop because they want. I thank you, and I support, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}