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{
    "id": 237777,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/237777/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Biwott",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 321,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Kiprono Kipyator Biwott",
        "slug": "nicholas-biwott"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have only risen because those rules were made when I was the Minister for East African Community. I think I was the Chairman. In that article, what we were looking for - and you also participated together with the Attorney-General - was a democratic October 26, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3219 process where East Africans will elect nine representatives to the Community in a manner that will satisfy everybody. We were aware of the fact that, there are political parties. That is why we said that, one of the criteria was to ensure that there are those who were elected to represent various shades of political opinion. We also knew that there are tribes and communities. So, we said it must also represent geographical distribution. We also knew that there would be a man and a woman. Therefore, gender consideration was there. We said that women will be considered. In that process, we expected political parties to work out modalities whereby everybody was given a chance, so that democracy would be allowed to flourish within the political parties. Communities were also given an opportunity, so that they could be represented. Women were also given an opportunity. It all happened when we discussed the matter in the House Business Committee. We decided to form a committee and Mr. Kalonzo was appointed from our KANU side. The Democratic Party (DP), which was in the Opposition, nominated Ms. Karua. They came up with rules aimed at improving it further, to create an additional one-third positions for women. But our problem was: Who was going to nominate the woman? I think that was deliberated at length in this House and we ended up submitting the list the way it was. So, if there are any problems today, it is not the rules nor the treaty. It is the political parties themselves which are in asunder. All of them have divided and re-grouped. I bet the problem started when a certain group elected somebody else without consulting the other group and so on. That is why we have a problem. So, if there is any improvement to be made, it must be made by the political parties themselves. They must accept discipline and responsibility the way they are expected to. At that time, the House was almost the same as the one we have now. Mr. Raila had joined us and he was the Minister for Energy. The others were already on this side. So, when he was speaking at that time, he was speaking our tune - the KANU tune."
}