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"id": 1063695,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1063695/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kang’ata",
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"speaker": {
"id": 1826,
"legal_name": "Irungu Kang'ata",
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"content": "I will also discuss the issues of the so-called, one man, one shilling and one vote. I will also look at the effect of an expanded Parliament. I will finally discuss as to whether this House has any powers to amend this document. I start with the issue concerning the constituencies and I will look at it from a technical view and as a substantive issue. Let me start with the technical issue concerning that Schedule. Mr. Speaker, Sir, there are several Schedules in this Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill. The First Schedule on counties clearly indicates that it has been inserted there pursuant to an Article. The First Schedule says it is pursuant to Article 6(1) of the Constitution. The Second Schedule indicates that it has been inserted pursuant to Article 9(2). It goes like that up to the last Schedule. One of the problems in this proposed Schedule is that it does not indicate it has been inserted there pursuant to what Schedule. We have several Schedules in several pieces of legislations. All Schedules must indicate they have been inserted there pursuant to what Article or Section of the substantive law. Once this one is ratified by Kenyans, it will hang there. Therefore, as currently advised by other people who appeared before us, it may be a superfluous Schedule. Nevertheless, let me go to the substantive issue concerning constituencies. I come from Mt. Kenya region and we are happy that Kwale County has been given two constituencies; Mombasa, three constituencies; the good people of Kilifi, four constituencies; and, Bungoma, three constituencies. I am just wondering that Embu County has been given one; Kirinyaga County, one; Murang’a County, one; Tharaka Nithi County, zero; Nyandarua, zero; and Nyeri, zero. What did those of us who come from Mt. Kenya do to the promoters of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)? Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have looked at Nyeri County which has about 500,000 registered voters. Kwale County has about 250,000; Murang’a, 600,000; and, Bungoma County, 500,000. Some people have argued that you should not consider voters but population as set out in Article 89 of the Constitution. Fair enough, Murang’a has about 1.1 million habitats as per the 2019 Census but it has been given only one extra constituency. Again, Article 89, which talks about delimitation of constituencies, nowhere does the term counties appear. It is all about constituencies. Therefore, the criteria should not have been counties but constituencies. The effect of this Bill will mean a Constituency like Kieni, which has over 100,000 registered voters, over 200,000 residents and a huge surface area will not get an extra constituency. Gatanga Constituency in Muranga County has almost 100,000 registered voters, 200,000 residents will get only one extra constituency. What of Kinangop Constituency, Nyandarua County, a huge and highly populated Constituency? Since Nyandarua has not been allocated a Constituency by BBI, it will not get an extra constituency. For that reason, I am not so sure whether that Schedule is fair to the many counties of Mt. Kenya region. Mr. Speaker, Sir, allow be to now go to the errors. As correctly stated by the Co- Chair of the Committee, we have two Bills. One is before the National Assembly and the"
}