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{
    "id": 1480935,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1480935/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 168,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okenyuri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "those processes. I remember approaching a polling station and some of the electoral staff were reaching out to me and telling me this is how people in this polling station vote. Little did they know that I had whoever I was voting for at the back of my mind. I imagine then that if that can happen to someone who is informed like me, what about other people who might not have that benefit? What would happen would be very absurd. We would have election officials influencing or taking advantage of people that they know cannot make certain decisions at that point. These offences have been noted by this proposal. The punishments being meted will go a long way in stopping such crafty officials and members of staff of the Commission trying to tamper with the general result of elections. Madam Temporary Speaker, in Africa, elections are seen as a do-or-die matter. It is in Kenya where politics is a means to attainment of wealth. That is why right now, most people want to pursue politics. They think it is a shortcut to being rich and achieving whatever you may want to meet. If we make very clear and strict laws, we will motivate these people who want to aspire for political leadership to serve and not more on what they will achieve. This is the reason why in other countries, people fight to an extent where there is no election in which the winner will be allowed to work on their own other than on power-sharing agreements. Madam Temporary Speaker, we have had power-sharing agreements and you have seen the effects. If I should give my views as a private citizen, I would say that those are some of the worst leadership experiments we would want to engage in. In respect for the rule of law, such proposals would be very good. We as Kenyans need to have a culture of respecting the rule of law. That needs to begin with us in political leadership so that if you go to polls today and you lose an election, be very open- minded in accepting so that we can move forward. Additionally, if you are challenging the whole result, let it be within the law. If we are looking at the form 34As at the polling station, let it be that you had agents who had those forms duly signed. When disputing that in court, you will not be doctoring documents and coming to dispute using that. I am saying that because we have most candidates who lose the election and when they file Petitions to court, the evidence is not sufficient and you see what we eventually get into. Finally, politics should be one way that we can transform the lives of people. Leave alone the interest of an individual, the larger interest should be towards bettering the lives of the people we have had an opportunity to represent. I fully support this amendment. I know we will keep planning as we advance because we experience new challenge and as a result of those challenges, we think about new remedies to address such challenges. The law is not very fixed. We will keep getting amendments to suit citizens as it well applies to them. Thank you, I support this proposal."
}