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{
    "id": 157845,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/157845/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "The Attorney General",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 208,
        "legal_name": "Sylvester Wakoli Bifwoli",
        "slug": "wakoli-bifwoli"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I feel I must stand up to support this Motion. I am saying so, as a person who has been involved and seen evolution of the workings of the electoral systems in Kenya. As the Report clearly states, in 1991, the elections were actually conducted by the Supervisor of Elections, which was an office under me. He was my official with the rank of Under Secretary-General. Where the report goes slightly wrong and I want to correct them on the history of this, it was not a constitutional amendment of 1991, which restored the independence of the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission has always been independent under our Constitution. However, what had happened is that they had unconstitutionally delegated their authority to the Supervisor of Elections. So, the restoration of the independence was by revoking the legal notice under which the supervisor of elections received the delegated power to conduct elections. So, it was by revoking that notice, which I did in 1991 that the independence, was restored. The Constitutional amendment of 1991 was merely to increase the functions of the Electoral Commission and not necessarily to restore the independence of the Commission, which was already there. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as has been stated, this is a very urgent matter that needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, we have lost a few months because of what happened. The sooner we support this Motion the better. I am particularly pleased by the fact that the persons whom we are now endorsing today have come to be appointed through a competitive process. For the first time, we have qualifications that must be met by prospective commissioners, which was not there under the current Constitution. What were there under the current Constitution, were these qualifications of being a member of the electoral Commission. However, we did not have really the qualifications of being a"
}