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{
    "id": 1097808,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1097808/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 112,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I rise to support the Report of the Committee. I also want to commend the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for the dedicated hours they put into this process and the time they spent in ensuring that the names that were forwarded to the House and then forwarded to them have met all the legal and constitutional requirements. All that evidence of their work is contained in this very elaborate Report, which the Chairperson has so graciously presented before this House this afternoon. I also take this opportunity to commend the Selection Panel that I believe received 669 applications when the advertisements were put up. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) received 299 applications while the IEBC received 669 applications. This basically shows that so many Kenyans are keen to serve the electoral body and how the IEBC is rated. Hon. Speaker, the Panel would also not have been constituted if it was not for the work of the Parliamentary Service Commission, which you chair. It midwifed the whole of that process and I also record thanks for the work that you and the Commission did in facilitating the formation of the Panel and the Committee. Eventually, through His Excellency the President, we have the four names here. We all know the importance of the IEBC as the referee in our elections. It is at the heart of success of elections. We have seen crisis during our elections. We have unfortunately seen violence. The worst kind of violence that has happened in this country is tied to the electoral cycles. Therefore, having a credible IEBC makes a lot of sense. We have also seen what we were discussing this morning; the issue surrounding the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Constitution amendment, and everything seems to have just been brought down by the fact that the IEBC did not quorate. The IEBC is at the heart of everything. Like I mentioned in the morning, even the election for the Court of Appeal itself, the IEBC was right there and it was not quorate. We are even doubting whether the Court of Appeal itself is properly constituted. The IEBC has been there and it has been helping political parties. We have also held so many by-elections and if we really do not get the IEBC right, then we are going to be in a lot of trouble now that we only have 11 months to go. After today, we believe they should have a quorum. I believe the reconstituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has a big role, first of all, to review the decisions that have been made by the portion that was declared non-quorate and make it right before it is presented to the courts and puts the whole electoral cycle in jeopardy. I believe that the critical thing they need to do is to recruit a CEO and fill up all vacant positions so that, as we move towards elections, we do not fight over whether they had the right people or will the commissioners be doing the work of management and end up with issues."
}