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{
    "id": 1217440,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1217440/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 721,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suba South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Caroli Omondi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am pleased to add my voice to these four major issues contained in the proposal to this House by His Excellency the President. Let me start with the easier one, on the NG-CDF and the NGAAF. I support these two funds to be entrenched in the Constitution for purposes of ensuring that they are protected and elevated for posterity. I think only one question has been causing the problems we have been going through. That is the role of the Members of Parliament in the management of these two funds. I think it should go on record that when somebody seeks an elective office, they do so on the basis of what we call a manifesto. They present their plans to the people and once elected they are given the mandate to implement that very manifesto. That is the basis upon which leaders are given the power to exercise control of budget, selection of programmes and deciding what should be implemented and given priority. That is the issue that we should really look into – the issue of mandate based on the manifestos that you publish when you seek elective positions. Hon. Temporary Speaker, on gender parity, the calculation should be 290 as opposed to 290 plus 47. You cannot exercise affirmative action on an affirmative number, which is the 47 Members of Parliament who are elected as affirmative action. We should be calculating the deficit of the female Members of Parliament on the basis of the 290. A third of 290 will be 87 Members. From 87, we then deduct the 47 County Women Representatives, whose places in the National Assembly are already guaranteed. This leaves us with a deficit of 40 seats for women. This is the number that we should be looking for during every election cycle. Then we have the 12 nominated Members of Parliament whom as a matter of rule should be preserved on a priority basis for female candidates, especially those who have run and become number two in their respective roles. That is what the political parties should do. I do not think political parties should have a big problem with this because after all they are private members’ clubs which are funded by public funds. So, they should be compelled to take certain actions. Political parties are not different from Nairobi Club or Gor Mahia Football Club. In the case of political parties, they get funding from the Exchequer. If you add the 12 then the shortfall will be about 28 Members. My view is that the 28 should be secured by political parties being required to issue direct tickets to women in safe electoral areas on a prorated basis, depending on the strength of the party. That is how they do it in other jurisdictions. There are safe seats and every party knows where their safe seats are. So, in their nomination process, at least the 28 should be prorated among political parties and each should nominate women for elective contest in their safe electoral areas."
}