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{
    "id": 1406358,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1406358/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 284,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Dorothy Muthoni",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I too rise to support this very important Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 10 of 2024). I want to thank the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs for coming up with very clear and straightforward amendments which will help this country cure past electoral injustices. Electoral systems must be supported and reviewed from time to time. I say that because this is a progressive country where we must institute positive changes that will keep this country safe every time we go for an election. This is so that Kenyans can be sure and certain that they can cast their votes, go back home, sit in the comfort of their homes, and wait for the results without any disruption. This Bill aims to amend the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Act to align it with the judgement of the High Court ruling in the case of Katiba Institute & 3 others v Attorney General & 2 others (2018). The sections and clauses that the High Court pronounced itself on as unconstitutional must be done away with if we are to cure what has been ailing us as a country. I am particularly happy that the Committee has increased the membership of the selection panel from seven to nine members this time around. This will accommodate a high spectrum of stakeholders and other interest groups. A process cannot be disputed if as many interest groups as possible own it. This is why I support the increase in the number of members of the selection panel from seven to nine. At the same time, the increase will take cognisance of the two-thirds gender rule, whereby two-thirds of the panel must be of the opposite gender. The Bill also seeks to amend Section 6 of the Act to include experience and professionalism. This is very important because it will be very difficult to clean up the IEBC if we do not have specific professionals serving there. Some of the credentials that have been included are accounting and ICT. These are key requirements because technology is taking space the world over. If we recruit people who are not ICT literate, we shall have a repeat of what happened in the last election. It is also important to note that one of the amendments that has been proposed is the quorum of those who will announce the results. We are alive to the fact that in the last election, the IEBC commissioners were split into two factions. Four commissioners were on one side, and three were on the other side. The Bill is coming out with very clear reforms that five 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"
}