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"id": 1480997,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1480997/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 13165,
"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
"slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
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"content": " I appreciate the contribution of all of our colleagues who have taken time to speak on this very important Bill. It is important because we are the practitioners. We are the political players. I observed this when we were moving the Bill. Many times in the excitement of passing laws, we occasionally pass laws here, which when applied in the field, we ask ourselves who passed them. What was the thought process that went into this thing? Therefore, each colleague who has spoken, including those who are proposing further amendments, please, go on to make proposals on how to make our electoral process neater. I propose further, that even as we consider further amending this Bill, there can be a way to apply the same high standards of poll credibility we are trying to set up in our general elections, in our party elections as well. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we can have members of a political party participate, do the nominations and meet certain standards. Party discipline is an important democratic credential, which is heavily lacking in our political culture. I wish it was possible for us to ensure that the threshold for which we set is in line with the manifesto and aspirations of a political party such that when you elect a Member of County Assembly (MCA), Member of Parliament (MP), a Senator, a Governor, President, Deputy President, you are able to hold them to account in line with the ideals and the values of that political party. When they sign, they will know for a fact that I belong to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party, and we are of this shade in terms of our economics, our social political culture, religious pluralism, and so on and so forth. This will ensure we do not have to get to levels of impeaching leaders. A party organ on its own can choose to deregister you for advancing certain courses that are not in line with the views and the ideals of the political party that you belong to. It is unfortunate, that up to date we have been unable to organise our politics in such a way that people respect the values of the political parties that they are elected on. The easiest way to do that is to ensure that the same high standards we are setting for returning officers, in terms of election declaration, and polling stations- where voting is done- can be replicated. This will ensure that even at the smallest level of a political party, we can successfully organise ourselves and the party can even bar you. We can say to a certain person that we know you are interested in running in our political party, but because of your public pronouncements on this matter, or that other thing that you have done, please be in the know that we shall not be accepting nomination papers from you and let it be known. Even members of the public will appreciate and know that the person cannot run on a particular ticket, despite the fact that it may be the general or popular political party in a certain region or location. That is the day we shall begin to see hygiene in our politics; something that we are desperately yearning for and so badly need in our politics. Therefore, as we do all this business of cleaning up our political cycle, I laud the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) Bills, which are aimed at ensuring that eventually they become law, including the Bill that we debated yesterday on the independence of the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties. 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."
}