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{
    "id": 1426816,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1426816/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 107,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want the Senate Majority Leader to hear this because it is important. Sen. (Dr.) Murango is engaging him yet this piece of information is important to the Senate Majority Leader. The NADCO team has given this country a lifeline. Now that the Senate Majority Leader is here, I believe he will communicate this message to other Members of that team. The only thing that the team never acknowledged is that there was a bipartisan team before them that broke the ice. We began our meetings when both sides could not see eye to eye. We laid a firm foundation on which the NADCO team was able to operate and come up with several Bills that, as I have said, have given this country a lifeline. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the fact that this Bill is a product of a negotiated document. There will be room for Members to propose amendments to align it with the supreme law and the realities of our time, but not to change its core values. I appreciate that the Bill seeks to enhance efficiency, transparency and accountability in our elections and electoral processes. I will go straight to the salient issues of the Bill. I will make simple and straightforward comments. As late as yesterday afternoon, the Senate was debating a Motion on changing the Standing Orders. One of the issues in the proposed changes was definition of what constitutes a parliamentary party in the Senate. If this Bill is passed, it will be binding to all Houses of Parliament. It takes the liberty to define what a parliamentary party means. It says that it is a party or coalition of parties consisting of not less than 5 per cent of membership of National Assembly. For neatness and in order to align our own Standing Orders with the law on electoral justice, I would have wished we borrowed and lifted this provision from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (Amendment) Bill. That way, there will be no conflict between what is provided for in the IEBC Act and what we have in our Standing Orders. As I said, we can only align. I see that Clause 3 makes an amendment to Section 6 of the principal Act and includes the services of Information Communication Technology (ICT) personnel and accountants. It is a good thing, but I remind the Senate Majority Leader that the only time we are going to get close to where we want to be is not to add more professions to the IEBC, but have people of integrity serving in the IEBC. Even these ICT personnel are basic. I was told garbage in, garbage out. It is what you feed to the system that determines the outcome of what you get. So, in itself, it is not a cure to electoral injustice. I have listened to the Senate Majority Leader on the matter of the term of office for the Secretary to the Commission. I fully agree with the reasoning of the NADCO team and sentiments as captured in this Bill. I would want to read the report of the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights (JLAHRC) to see what amendment they will be proposing on the term of office for the secretary. However, if you ask me, this is well thoughtout. The matter of the review of the conduct of the general election by the IEBC is necessary. This is okay for quality control and internal purposes. It is an opportunity for The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}