Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 266981,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/266981/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. G. Nyamweya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is the most important task that the National Assembly of Kenya has to do. Perhaps, we should look back to our history. What is the history of this country? It is a history for self representation to manage its own affairs and the fundamental point is that we are talking about representation. The Constitution has provided us with two levels of representation; the national level - that is the National Assembly and the Senate. Secondly, there is the representation at the county level. What is it that the people of Kenya, therefore, are asking? I am sure anybody in Kenya would want to say that, that is my president, senator, member of parliament, governor, county assembly representative or woman county representative. That is what the people are saying! What is it, therefore, we are asked to do? We are now asking how we define the areas of representation. That is what is really emotive about all these things. If you get to a point where I cannot relate to you and say: “That is my speaker” and say” “That is speaker huyo wenu ” that, therefore, excludes me from the affairs of the country. That is why we are here! What is our fundamental basis of being here? The Constitution itself in Article 82 says that Parliament shall enact legislation to provide for the delimitation by IEBC of electoral units for election of Members of the National Assembly and County Assembly. It is the duty of the National Assembly to provide that legislation. Has that been done? If you look at Article 88(5) - and this is in terms of the IEBC - it says: “The Commission shall exercise its powers and perform its function in accordance with this Constitution and national legislation.” One may ask what Parliament has got to do with reviewing of boundaries. It is the Constitution itself which has given the powers to the National Assembly to do so. What has it done? We now have the IEBC Act which provides in the Fifth Schedule that: “The Commission shall, in addressing the issues arising out of the first review, use as a timely reference the report of the former Boundaries Commission. Secondly, use the report of the Parliamentary Committee on the report of the former Boundaries Commission.” The IEBC has done that. It is required by law from the Constitution to submit its report to this House. So, those who are entertaining the idea that Parliament is interfering or arrogating itself powers that it does not have, are not right. Parliament is guided by the Constitution and by legislation."
}