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{
    "id": 1418655,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1418655/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 343,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mbeere North, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ruku GK",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the legislative proposals to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya to protect 27 constituencies, which were protected during the first delineation of electoral units. This was in spite of not meeting the population quota requirement of which the constituencies risk being merged with others when the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) conducts the second review. One of the constituencies in this category is my constituency of Mbeere North. If we are sticklers of the law without discrimination, the Constitution clearly says that Kenyans will not be discriminated based on race, religion, culture, customs, or any other thing. There shall be no discrimination against Kenyans, whatsoever. That is a right enshrined in our Constitution. The census of the Republic of Kenya was last done in the year 2019. The population has indeed changed from that time. We are now over 50 million Kenyans. We were about 45 to 47 million Kenyans in 2019. The population of the Republic of Kenya has changed and so has that of the 27 constituencies. I support this legislative proposal to ensure or give a leeway where those constituencies can get the required population of164,000 within a period of eight to twelve years. That is what Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a’s legislative proposal says. The Report by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) gives those constituencies 20 years. This means the legislative proposal by Hon. Alice Ng’ang’a and the NADCO Report read from the same script. This exercise is due this month. This exercise should have taken place. We still do not have a properly constituted Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to ensure that the delimitation of constituencies or electoral units takes place. Therefore, more or less, we are in a constitutional crisis. This House should have 290 Members of Parliament elected from each constituency. Our Constitution says that there shall be 290 constituencies. As it is, we have 289 elected Members of Parliament because we lost one of our own from Banissa Constituency in Mandera County. We have not managed to hold an election there because the IEBC is not properly constituted. This proposal to amend the Constitution comes in to ensure that we give a leeway to constitute the IEBC most appropriately where both sides of this House, whether it is the Majority or the Minority, agree. The NADCO Report proposes an amendment Bill to come before this House to ensure a proper amendment of the IEBC Act to align with the views of both the Minority and Majority sides. This amendment proposal comes at the most appropriate time to ensure that no Kenyans - whether in Mbeere North, Mathioya or any of the 27 constituencies - are discriminated. The customs and traditions of most constituencies in the Republic of Kenya are socialised and organised in a particular way. They have lived like that for many years. Most constituencies will be fragmented if we do not amend or pass this legislative proposal to amend the Constitution. This may cause disunity in a number of regions in the Republic of Kenya. The boundaries of those constituencies were done depending on the customs, traditions, history of the people, etc. We are creating fertile grounds for anarchy and chaos in the country by saying that we merge some sections of the 27 constituencies. We did not envisage or want that because the people want to serve and ensure that we have the welfare of the people taken care of and a just government of the people. 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"
}