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{
    "id": 1426886,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1426886/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This Bill has, however, brought progression number three. What we have now is a scrutiny of the selection panel itself, which is a development of what was the initial selection panel. This is a very good development. We should support and pass this Bill. I am serving as the head of delegation for Pan-African Parliament. Kenya is held in very high esteem in the African continent because of this kind of thing. People discuss Kenya and how we choose our commissioners. It will be a pleasure when we go for the next sessions to tell them that nowadays, it is not the President who appoints, but a selection committee. We have even interrogated the very selection committee so that the selection panel is a democratized institution. We need to agree that we shall support that on principle. Secondly, on the same issue, Tana River County is affected. This is because we lost a very able United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Member of County Assembly (MCA) from Chewani Ward. In fact, Chewani Ward is like the headquarters of Tana River County. The honourable Member who was chosen there, we used to call him Doheny, did not stay for too long. He left us because of a tragic road accident. We used to call him the mayor of Tana River because he was right at the centre. He passed away and the people of Chewani Ward have remained without representation. It is of interest to the people of Tana River that this process that will bring in the selection panel and re-establish the IEBC be done as fast as possible. We have a reason to support this Bill to go as fast as it can with the amendments that I shall be discussing later in my contribution. Concerning the selection panel, I leave it there. On the question of delimitation of boundaries, I would like to bring to the attention of the House that the process on how the IEBC will delimit the boundaries is very detailed. However, for purposes of debate and those who are listening to us, to outline that the schedule that has been provided in this Bill is talking about giving public sensitization and public hearing. Those regulations within the Third Schedule make it possible for everybody in Tana River to know that there is this process going on. In the past, it was only the elite who used to participate in giving names and opinions in delimitation of boundaries and wards. This was the case on our county, and I am sure many other counties as well. People did not quite engage. At that time, they used to be called councilors. I am very glad that in this proposed Third Schedule, people will be involved. There will be public hearings and notices. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is not the normal public participation that is said. We have had abuse of what is public participation. Some people in the counties just select the same people to go and sit and they say there was public participation. The same people are given allowance and moved from place to place and then we are told public participation happened. All of us are aware of that. In this one, there is public hearings. It is very clearly delimited. They have gone ahead to explain what the concept of public participation under the Third Schedule would be. That elaborate procedure is well taken care of within this Bill. I urge Senators to support this proposed system of delimiting boundaries. 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."
}