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{
    "id": 1165488,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1165488/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 294,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Eng.) Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 75,
        "legal_name": "Ephraim Mwangi Maina",
        "slug": "ephraim-maina"
    },
    "content": "be presented to the electorate during party primaries or election ballot papers, in the way the candidate has chosen to familiarise himself or herself to the electorate. Currently, the law only permits the use of a candidate’s official name as it appears in the register of voters and the candidate’s identification documents. A candidate who wishes to have his or her popular name included on the ballot paper has to go through the lengthy process of officially changing his or her name. This is through the procedure set up under the Registration of Persons Act No.107, the Registration of Documents Act No.283 and the rules and regulations made under the two Acts. This is an extremely laborious and a hindrance to democracy. The ultimate goal of an election is to ensure that the electorate choose their preferred leaders in a free and fair environment. Name recognition thus becomes an important aspect of free and fair elections and should be enabled to the fullest extent. It ensures that a voter easily identifies his or her preferred candidate on a ballot and votes as he or she intended. Candidates should not be unduly stopped from having a say on the name they want on the ballot paper and other election related material, as this hinders the realisation of the candidate's right to be voted without unreasonable restrictions. It also hinders free expression of the will of the electorate as contemplated under Article 38 of the Constitution. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill, therefore, seeks to provide for the inclusion of a candidates’ popular name on the ballot paper while safeguarding the sanctity of the electorate process at the same time. Further, it seeks to ensure that this flexibility does not prejudice a free and fair election in any way. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) would be required to approve the use of the popular name in an election. The Bill also proposes to amend Section 109 of the Elections Act to ensure compliance with Article 95 of the Constitution, in the approved regulation made pursuant to the proposed new clauses and the Election Act in general. Madam Temporary Speaker, I move the Bill and ask Sen. Sakaja to second."
}