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{
    "id": 1106878,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1106878/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 152,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Mbadi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 110,
        "legal_name": "John Mbadi Ng'ong'o",
        "slug": "john-mbadi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Before you put the Question on this matter which touches on Regulations that were forwarded to this House by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and were committed to the Committee, I wish to raise a matter of national importance which touches on the same IEBC. Over the weekend, it was variously and widely reported that the IEBC, through its Chairman, had expressed fears, went to the extent of accusing Parliament and the National Treasury for interfering with their work and that there was a possibility that the elections next year are likely to be compromised. That is a weighty matter. When I looked at some of the issues that were raised by the IEBC, one was the issue of funding. They claim that they sought over Kshs40 billion to be able to conduct a fair and credible electoral process next year or leading up to next year but they were only allocated Kshs26 billion in the budget. The other issue that the IEBC raised had to do with legislation. From the Report, the IEBC, through its Chairperson, told Kenyans that Parliament has been sitting on certain critical and crucial legislative proposals which would undermine the electoral process. That is not a matter that we can just ignore and assume, especially since it is coming from the electoral body and also given the fact that we just have a few months to the elections. We know how important the electoral process is in the calendar of any nation or country. As one who sits on the House Business Committee, we discussed this matter when you chaired the Committee. It is coming out that apart from what we are just about to vote on, which, again, we have said severally was inordinately delayed by the IEBC itself, there is no other legislative proposal that is supposed to help us have credible elections next year that this House is sitting on. Looking at the analysis of various opinion leaders, they think that Parliament is probably interfering with the work of the IEBC or making their work difficult. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}