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{
    "id": 266983,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/266983/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 317,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. G. Nyamweya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go to northern Kenya - the Pokot and Turkana areas - people may think that a ward is here. But the next point is, maybe, 300 kilometers away. Are you going to say that you will deny them representation simply because their numbers do not warrant it? If you go to Trans Nzoia, a cosmopolitan area, there are people there who are asking themselves: “We have been in this country since Independence, but we have never had any representation because the numbers are placed the way they are.” Is it not our duty to say that they are also entitled to representation? Therefore, even if this constituency will have a slightly higher number of wards, the other one will have less. So, both sides have representations. If you talk about the vast Rift Valley, where we even had clashes and insecurity because of community of interests, how can we have a situation where all the communities would be represented both at the national and at the county level? This is why we are making these recommendations. If you cannot have an additional constituency, at least, let us have representation at the County Assembly because it all boils down to representation and resources. The Americans went to war and said; “No taxation without representation.” We do not want to tell any Kenyan that they will be taxed and that their resources will be used without having a say on how the resources will be distributed. When we look at the entirety and totality of what we are recommending, we felt that perhaps there should be more wards so that there are other areas where we can solve local problems by having wards and representation. I will, very strongly, urge that you look at what we had done with the devolved units - the 47 counties. You will realise how emotive those were because there are communities which still feel marginalized by the purpose of the counties as they are. Let us not further marginalize them by denying them representation within the counties which they must operate in. When you talk about Kuria, yes, they have an additional constituency. However, we know the way they live. Let us not cause them further problems. If you already feel that you are suffering, why should we add to your misery? That is what we are trying to do. I want to invite hon. Members to look at the whole exercise and ask themselves; if I were in the shoes of the other Member, what would I be suffering from? How can I cure his problem? We should not look at it theoretically and say that if he has 10,000, then you should also have 10,000. That is not how the society is. I urge those who had doubts and are thinking that this is a futile exercise, that if they do not take this route; if the National Assembly does not address itself to the causes of disquiet and the tensions in the country as we go into elections, we will have greater difficulties if the Report of the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will remain as it is without the improvements that the Committee is recommending. Finally, I want to urge that as we move to debate as hon. Members, we do great service to our country. This is the last task we will do as the Tenth Parliament which can have meaning to the rest of the country. I beg to second."
}