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{
    "id": 208805,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/208805/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 239,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Wako",
    "speaker_title": "The Attorney-General",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 208,
        "legal_name": "Sylvester Wakoli Bifwoli",
        "slug": "wakoli-bifwoli"
    },
    "content": " In fact, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was going to come to that. It is just that he was thinking too fast ahead of me. I am developing my point and coming to that very point, to show that a constitutional amendment is required to give effect to this affirmative action. Let us start, for example, with Tanzania, our neighbouring country. In Tanzania, a constitutional amendment was passed in 2000 to give effect to the Beijing Platform for Action. It required a constitutional amendment, which reserved seats for women, so that currently out of the 319 hon. Members in Tanzania, 97 seats are enjoyed by women, 80 of which are reserved seats and 17 are elected, just like any other hon. Member. However, the most important thing here is that it required a constitutional amendment. One common denominator in most of these countries, which have achieved higher than Kenya in all indicators, except for the economy, is a constitutional provision, a provision in the Constitution giving effect to affirmative action. Even Burundi now, in the Lower House, has already achieved more than 30.5 per cent, and 34.7 per cent in the Upper House, women August 15, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3235 representation. They have even gone a step higher, and now have, in the Lower House, a Speaker, who is a lady. The common denominator, in order to give effect to this, has been a constitutional amendment. Let me state this: The constitutional amendment that we are proposing today is not unconstitutional."
}