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{
    "id": 1381150,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1381150/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 305,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move that the Petitions to Parliament (Procedure) (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.51 of 2022) be now read a Second Time. Public petitions are one of the very new and novel ways in which our Constitution made it mandatory to ensure that Kenyans participate in parliamentary proceedings. They are able to ensure that their concerns come to the Floor of Parliament. Just like anybody can petition the High Court of Kenya today, any Kenyan can also petition Parliament in whatever manner and form. This process of petitioning Parliament has been ongoing since the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 came to being. This Bill was proposed to streamline the process in which Kenyans engage with Parliament is terms of petitions. It also seeks to make it easier for Kenyans to petition Parliament and for Parliament to communicate with the rest of the world in as far as petitions are concerned. It also seeks to ensure that petitions do not take too much time once they are brought to Parliament Since the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, anybody can petition the High Court or the Supreme Court through a letter. Just a letter can reach anybody in the High Court or the Supreme Court. You do a letter, even a handwritten one because it does not have to be printed, and send it there. They are duty-bound to act on it. The way we have worked around receiving Petitions and the long process of those petitions in Parliament today makes it difficult for Kenyans to engage with Parliament. This amendment is to ensure that petitioners can approach this Parliament without undue regard to form and formalities, without due regard to very many things they must provide to us. That is why this amendment talks about having a standard form. A petitioner will just go to the website, fill it in and bring it back. We are removing the requirement that a Petitioner must provide so much evidence in a petition to Parliament. The only thing we are saying under 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"
}