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{
    "id": 1491158,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1491158/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 275,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "You out-perform even those who do not have disabilities. So it has been really a joy. We encourage you, Sen. Asige, to continue doing the good work you do, both in contribution and on the Bills that you bring to the floor of the House. I hope the people of Mombasa will think seriously. If you ever offered yourself to seek an elective seat, they should consider electing you almost unopposed. She has done so well. When you go upcountry, there are many people who stop you and they say, “by the way, when you go back to Nairobi, pass our greetings to Sen. Asige.” So receive greetings from many of my constituents in Nyamira who are extremely impressed with the good work you are doing. This Bill is very timely. If there is an Article that has been abused by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), it is 177. The only guiding laws that we have had over the years are the regulations that were enacted by IEBC. The provision in this Article that the number of special seats should ensure that not more than two-thirds of the membership of the same gender has resulted in serious abuse. If you go to my county of Nyamira, we elect 20 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), IEBC nominates another 15, giving us 35 MCAs. I do not know how they read this Article because it makes nonsense the idea of people electing or picking their leaders through a popular vote. If you have 20 MCAs and then you have 15 nominated, it means you have turned it around to say you will nominate two-thirds of elected MCAs. It is not more than two-thirds but that you are picking another two-thirds to constitute MCAs. I have never understood it. I raised that issue before the Floor of this House. In the last Parliament we had 16. In this Session, my Assembly has 15 nominated MCAs. I mean, it cannot be. If you are talking about not more than two-thirds, at least we should not have more than eight nominated MCAs. It is expensive to maintain an MCA. They get their mortgages, car grants, allowances and salaries. When you make the number too bloated, it becomes a threat to the fruits of devolution because we spend most of the money that we get to maintain our MCAs. I will be proposing several amendments to this Bill so that we make it also very clear that the number should not exceed a third of the elected MCAs so that, we do not make it a blank cheque for IEBC to pick their friends. I hear I am not saying I have any proof, but I hear rumours that there are people who have now become experts. They carry money, after an election is declared, they find their way into the list. How it can be that even parties that only had one elected MCA, just one Member still end up with another Member being nominated to the county assembly? So I hope that we can ride on this Bill that has been sponsored by Sen. Asige to clean up the procedures of nominating members to the county assembly. Two, there is no better way of re-emphasizing the role that our youths play in our politics. You know, the youths are really our future leaders, and we must affirm support for them. They are our children, brothers and sisters. We must hold them in their hands and walk with them to the future. There are many people, even out there, who became elected leaders at a very early age, and they proved themselves and performed very well. Lyndon Johnson was the first 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."
}