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{
    "id": 1064240,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1064240/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 350,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Pareno",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13180,
        "legal_name": "Judith Ramaita Pareno",
        "slug": "judith-ramaita-pareno"
    },
    "content": "We have had a problem with the two-thirds gender rule that is provided for in the Constitution of Kenya 2010. This has come in handy and it is a plus that in this Clause, we are amending the Articles of the Constitution to ensure that political parties actually submit a list of candidates that comply with the two-thirds gender. I feel that we should have been bolder about this. This provision is like giving with this hand and taking away with the other hand. Why do I say so? I know like in the political party where I have been in my political life; the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), they will definitely comply to submit the names of candidates with the two- thirds gender rule, like it has done in a lot of the other structures of the party. Every time we have done grassroots elections, we actually submit to the IEBC and take care of the two-thirds gender rule. However, this does not expressly mean that we will achieve the balance at the end of the day at the end of elections. Yes, we will submit, and the IEBC will also compel parties to submit the list that complies with the two-thirds gender rule, but how will we force the electorate to comply at the time of the ballot? It simply means that this provision has given us on this hand, but has taken away from the other hand because at the end of the day, you might find that the electorate will not have elected the candidates that you have submitted, and the result of the election will be that you do not have the balance, anyway. I feel it was short of just doing the right thing. This provision has not been bold enough to ensure that there is gender parity and respect for what the Constitution has provided for in as far as bringing women to leadership. We should have been bolder and stated that at the end of the election, we should have had parties promoting and ensuring that the candidates that they submit will actually become successful after the ballot. Madam Deputy Speaker, Clause 8 of the Bill proposes to amend Article 87 of the Constitution, which also brings in the electoral disputes to be handled by another mechanism other than the mechanism that had been provided for. My party suffered so much because of lack of proper provisions as to how to handle disputes. In fact, I was in and out of court for the entire period of nominations of ODM for 2017 until one day before the general elections. I was in court following the party being sued right, left and centre. People were pretending they were serving orders when they were not serving me or the party. In fact, there is a day I woke up and saw in the news that hon. Judith Pareno be arrested and been brought to a court of law within 24 hours. I just saw this in the news"
}