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{
"id": 1618719,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1618719/?format=api",
"text_counter": 146,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Tharaka, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. George Murugara",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Constitution and the Public (Parliamentary Approval) Act. Mr Ethekon demonstrated knowledge in his area of speciality, law and that he satisfies to be a Judge of the Supreme Court, which is the requirement for his appointment. He has more than 15 years of practice and a lot of experience in other matters including conflict management which we think is very important, and especially because of the disputes that arise after elections. There was an objection to Mr Ethekon’s appointment on the basis that he is closely related to the former Governor of Turkana, Mr Josphat Nanok. This was in a sworn statement and, therefore, we had to deal with it. On interrogation, Mr Ethekon confirmed that he has no relationship whatsoever with Mr Josphat Nanok apart from work related relationship. That at one time, he was appointed as the County Attorney of Turkana and he worked with Mr Josphat Nanok. Even after Mr Josphat Nanok left office, he continued working with the Governor who is presently in that office. Therefore, work related relationship cannot be a bar to his becoming the chairperson. Otherwise, he demonstrated knowledge on electoral matters, he demonstrated knowledge of law, and he actually confirmed that he has the spine to deal with elections in the Republic which are ordinarily very emotive. With those remarks, we were convinced that he suits to be the chairperson of the IEBC. The second person was Ms Ann Njeri Nderitu, who is currently the Registrar of Political Parties. She has worked for over 10 years with the IEBC where she rose to become a director. Therefore, in our view, we termed her as an insider, a person who knows how IEBC works. There was an objection to her nomination on the basis that she is a State officer. The person who objected stated that the appointment was contrary to the law because she is a State officer. Unfortunately, the law is clear which is that you cannot be appointed when you are a State officer. The word used is appointment and not nomination. She was able to clarify to our satisfaction that she has not been appointed, she has only been nominated. The third person is Mr Moses Alutalala Mukhwana, who is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with over 11 years’ experience. On top of that, he has been a teacher for a long time amongst the many other things he has done. What struck the Committee with satisfaction was his ability to communicate. Mr Mukhwana is a good communicator, especially when he started giving us his journey through life in Kiswahili, eventually he answered our questions in English. He is able to speak both languages in a manner that he will be able to relay matters of the IEBC to the country when the time comes. So, to him the gem he takes to the IEBC is that of communication, and I hope he will make use of it because one reason Kenyans have a problem with the IEBC is trust. This is purely because communication is not as good as it should. We want to hear what is happening at every step of everything including awarding of contracts, so that nobody feels they are being short-changed or somebody is trying to do things under the table with a view to delivering elections that are not credible, fair and justifiable. Mr Mukwhana will fit that shoe very well. The fourth candidate was Ms Mary Karen Sorobit, another Advocate of the High Court of Kenya who came in with experience from many institutions of the Government including the Advocates Complaints Commission, vetting of judges and many other areas that she has served in for the last almost 20 years as an Advocate. Mary Karen suits the position and we thought that as a lady, she also gets into the gender equality which is very important and as a person from South Rift, then again, regional balance is achieved. The fifth person was Mr Hassan Noor Hassan. Mr Hassan has worked in the Public Service for over 40 years although today he is not working with the Public Service. He has great knowledge in matters public, dispute and conflict resolution as he demonstrated. In fact, due to his age, we said the rest of them are young and we require somebody of his age to guide the Commission when the time comes. Therefore, inspite of objections raised to him and they were many, including that he had been in the Rift Valley when there the post-election clashes, he was able to show that even when he was there during the clashes, he was able to quell them, The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}