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{
    "id": 1406374,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1406374/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 300,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ruiru, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Simon King’ara",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to support this timely amendment Bill. Everybody here came through an election conducted by IEBC. As we sit here, IEBC is not there, so such business cannot continue. This Bill is very timely, and it needs to move quickly. If we are to align ourselves on election matters, we have to have a set of regulations that come through an amendment like this Bill. We also know that after a given time, we are supposed to review our boundaries. We can use the aligned IEBC regulations to review the boundaries. The Bill adheres to the NADCO agreement. We came together and decided to own our country as one unit. One way to own our country is to work with regulations that accommodate everybody. This bill has found it worthwhile to increase the selection panel from seven to nine. This will allow many participants to be included in shortlisting and other tasks. When everybody is accommodated, running the activity is smooth. We know that everybody might not be accommodated, but when a good number is accommodated in a process, then we will have smooth elections and the development of our country. As it was said earlier, election performance leads to the growth of any institution. If the election is not conducted in the right manner, you do not expect good results. The Bill is sensitive to an individual's performance. I agree with the amendment of having a commissioner work for three years, which is renewable after good performance. If there is no good performance, the commissioner can give room for any other person to do the work. The proposal to do a review after a general election will address shortcomings, and the report can be used to improve future elections. That means progressively improving the status and standards of our elections to match those of other parts of the world, noting that we are part of the Commonwealth, where we are supposed to do things in the right way. During the 2019 Census, Ruiru Constituency which I represent, had a population of over 400,000 with an anticipated growth projection of 10 per cent bringing the number to 500,000. Without the IEBC, which we have taken time to constitute, we cannot have that review. I have written to this honourable House through a petition that will be coming to your desk soon. Good representation makes progress in matters of development in a given area and subsides pressure that comes when things are not done the right way. We are aware that the country has decided to work as one team. How do we work as a team? It is by constituting laws which will make us work as one-fold. One way is to have a body, that is IEBC, which will conduct credible, genuine and accommodative elections. How do we have IEBC? It is by constituting a panel which fully represents the community around. I stand to support this and wish that all Hon. Members also support it so that it goes to the next step. May it be done before we go for the long recess. Thank you."
}