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{
    "id": 1404541,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1404541/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 325,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for acceding to the request to reorder the business on the Order Paper. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No.10 of 2024) be now read a Second Time. Hon. Members will remember that this Bill is one of the consequential amendments or some of the statutory instruments that emanated from the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Report. The Leader of the Minority Party and myself committed to hasten this process and make sure that all the statutory instruments that relate to the NADCO process are allocated time by the House Business Committee (HBC). The HBC agreed to prioritise consideration of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Bill seeks to implement some of the recommendations of the NADCO relating to electoral justice and related matters, and in particular the issue of restructuring and reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Both Hon. Members and the entire country are aware that for almost a year, we have been operating without a commission in place. This has left our nation in a very precarious situation of a constitutional crisis that was never anticipated under any circumstances by the drafters of our Constitution. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we are also aware that there was a panel that had been established under the old Act or rather the existing Act. It was mandated to replace the entire Commission whose vacancies fell vacant following the resignation of four commissioners and the ending of the term of three others. That is why I have just said that we are in a very unique situation where we do not have a single commissioner in office. The Constitution recognizes IEBC, not in terms of the secretariat but the commission. Therefore, without it, we cannot carry on with the business of boundaries delimitation, which is a very sensitive matter to the country. We cannot conduct by-elections. We are aware that the people of Banissa Constituency have been waiting for a by-election. Unfortunately, we also have a number of wards where we have lost Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) through death. Therefore, the constituents of those particular wards are also waiting for their by-elections. As a country, we have not been able to conduct them because we do not have a commission in place The passage of this amendment Bill will open the way for establishing or recruiting new commissioners. Reconstitution of IEBC is therefore a matter of national importance. As we are aware, the deadline for review of the boundaries also came and passed without a commission in place. As I mentioned, there is the issue of by-elections that are still pending. The courts have pronounced themselves on the question of whether or not elections should be 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"
}