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{
    "id": 1211709,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1211709/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 128,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "I want to thank our Deputy Speaker for allowing time for this conversation because we have come from far and our society has changed so much. In America for almost 100 years, women never voted. Our democracy started with everyone having the right to vote. I believe that through talking to each other and reforming laws, when necessary, we make our society better. I want us to look at this memorandum from the President in that light. That we have been struggling with ensuring that women come to this House. Women who are here can tell you so. You are one of them. I have also heard stories from women who are running for seats. I run a party and I have heard people who want to talk to me about concerns that they have. So, a way must be found to ensure that as a country we make our women participate in politics meaningfully without being abused, insulted or bullied. Where the numbers fall short, a way must be found to ensure that the National Assembly and the Senate is a representative of the society. Our statistics show that women are more than men in this country, but in almost every leadership position, be it county assemblies, National Assembly and Senate, the numbers of women being elected are low. I, therefore, agree with the President that a way must be found to ensure that 97 out of the 349 Members of Parliament are women. How do we do that? The courts have spoken severally that we were not legally constituted. We have sat here and agonised on how to get the best formula to ensure that women numbers are as per the law. What is being proposed is to get a formula that can tell us, if you already have 47 affirmative action seats considered and 26 women elected as Members of Parliament, what more numbers do we need to ensure that we have the 97? He is therefore proposing that we get a formula where through the political parties system, through an independent system and through dialogue in this Assembly, we are able to bring in 24 more women. In future, if the numbers fall short, we have a formula that is fool proof, whereby we know that if we elect 50 women, we will have to bring in 47 of them. If we only have 60 women, we will have to bring 37 of them. That is what is being proposed here and I agree with it absolutely. A way must be found, that if Kenyans cannot elect women, we must still get women on the table of discussion. In this regard I want to request Members to look at this in a manner that promotes their daughters and mothers. We cannot promote William Ruto as president, he does not benefit from this. So, if we can get a way of doing this the right way, our country becomes a better country in terms of governance. Hon. Deputy Speaker, when the late President Kibaki was alive, his opinion was that the best devolution would better work at the constituency level. I agree with him. If you go to 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."
}