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{
    "id": 1479792,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1479792/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 442,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Tom Odhiambo Ojienda, SC",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, the Political Parties (Amendment) (No.2) Bill (Senate Bills No.26 of 2024) could not have come at a better time because it seeks to democratise political space by introducing an independent commission to replace the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP). From the outset, it is clear that an independent commission would fall within the rubric of commissions regulated under Article 251. Therefore, it will be independent not only in execution of duty but also in ensuring that oversight and the framework of political parties is governed by five individuals who will be appointed in accordance with the proposals under New Clause 33B. Clause 33B requires appointment of a commission of five appointed by the President after nomination by the National Assembly. The five shall consist of a man and a woman nominated by the majority party and another man and woman nominated by the minority party. The fifth person will be nominated by the Public Service Commission. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is a move in the right direction. The commission will not only operate independently but also it will reflect the principles of democracy. It shall no longer be business as usual for one single-handed Registrar to make decisions on the composition and registration of political parties. When the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition was born--- I am glad that when moving this Bill, the Senate Majority Leader spoke of briefcase political parties. Of concern is that there were about 26 political parties forming the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition. Out of those 26, the real ones were about 10, with others being briefcase parties. Members or owners of those parties used to carry briefcases with all the documents and disappeared in thin air after the signing of the coalition agreement. These amendments will lead to a proper framework that mirrors what they have in the United State of America (USA), where there are members of the blues and the reds. We will have convergence of strong political parties going forward. We will have parties that are well regulated that will benefit from the Political Parties Fund established under Section 23. That will truly be a mirror of the country. It will also reflect political ideology and shades of political creativity. We will have what is called political horticulture, where there will be shades of opinions of different leaders. For this country to move to the next level, we want to see strong political parties and not parties being registered by night and they are dead by day. We want to see some longevity in the life of political parties and that is what this Act intends to achieve. Madam Temporary Speaker, let me mention this. This is one of the Bills that arose out of the national dialogue discourse. It was a bipartisan proposal both by minority and majority sides in a framework that was brought into life after the earlier maandamano that we had. In this case, both the majority and minority sides are acting in respect of the people who presented their views during the national dialogue discourse on issues of electoral justice and related matters. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill would not have come at a better time when we have had some form of restructuring in governance and moved from the shareholding narrative to a broad-based narrative where we have every Kenyan as a shareholder in government. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}