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{
    "id": 27721,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/27721/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 255,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ms. Karua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 166,
        "legal_name": "Martha Wangari Karua",
        "slug": "martha-karua"
    },
    "content": "Thank you Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I have also noticed that in this Bill, we are attempting to criminalize or over-legislate on defamation law. If everything is criminalized, that means that you cannot even criticize your opponent without the Commission coming for you. We have adequate defamation laws in our books and any person aggrieved can go to a court of law. We must remove clauses that impede competitive politics and that will operate as a gag so that, you do not criticize your opponent or even accuses them of embezzlement where you have reasonable grounds. These are gagging clauses. Those are Clauses 68(c) and 64(a). Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, Clause 72 seems to outlaw propaganda; it says that you cannot give a loud speaker or any other instrument to your campaigners lest they are accused of issuing propaganda remarks. That is something that can be taken care of by other laws. We should not have clauses that restrict Freedom of Speech. Anybody who is aggrieved can go to court. With regard to Clause 27 on fund raising, we must amend that to read: “Except when the candidate is fund raising either for the party or for his own or her own election.” If we are not careful, we can even outlaw fund raisings for our own elections. Not everybody is a monied person or a money power house. We always rely on contributions. Parties rely on donations. If we outlaw them, then how are we going to campaign? We need to be careful with that clause. Article 60 is on the penalties. The penalties for offences under this Clause should include banning those engaged in them for 10 years out of public service, on top of the jail sentence."
}