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{
    "id": 1406286,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1406286/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 212,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "West Mugirango, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Stephen Mogaka",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Speaker for the opportunity to also contribute to this very momentous Bill. At the outset, I support this Bill subject to the Report of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee where you are one of the senior-most Members. I am also privileged to sit in that Committee. As I comment, I want this House to remind itself that this Bill is a negotiated document. As the JLAC Committee, we have endeavoured to give life to this negotiated document to the extent that it will satisfy this country beyond doubt and it will not alter the very substance of the negotiations and the resulting document. It is because of this that I urge Members to avoid bringing drastic changes or amendments to this Bill, lest we get back to where we were and the 13th Parliament will continue to carry the shame of not having the IEBC in place and to an extent, disenfranchising some electoral units that are not represented at the moment. Hon. Temporary Speaker, you will recall that the Bill is an outcome of public participation that was carried out at the Bomas of Kenya. It is a kind of public participation because we had the original negotiating committee which was replaced with the committee which has brought us this Bill. When we, as the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, seized up this legislative proposal, we also conducted parliamentary public participation to ensure that we did not miss a dot or cross on the “t” and the “i” so that ultimately, the document that we roll out of this House will put the 13th Parliament in the annals of history that we gave Kenyans a functioning law. I am also aware that once we are done with it, it will also be taken to the Senate and, therefore, this is a law that is being enacted in a very inclusive manner. One hallmark of the Bill which makes me support it is its enhancement of transparency in our electoral process. One of the ways we are enhancing transparency is by expanding the Commission to that extent that the missing technical value which the Commission had and which culminated in unprecedented number of election petitions is going to be obviated because election is about numbers. Sadly, we have hitherto not had accountants sitting in that Commission. It is with pleasure, Hon. Temporary Speaker, that an amendment is proposed to bring the Institute of Certified Public Accounts of Kenya on board so that questions of numbers will never again be a reason for Kenyans to dispute an election. The other area of dispute has been on the transmission of election results. It is with pleasure that Kenyans need to know that this time round we have ICT gurus in the Commission so that there will be no doubt in anybody’s mind that the result that is properly counted and tallied at the polling station is the same one that is transmitted to where it should be announced. Therefore, Kenyans must be prepared to understand that once an election has been conducted, 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"
}