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{
    "id": 281081,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/281081/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 347,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Keynan",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 41,
        "legal_name": "Adan Wehliye Keynan",
        "slug": "adan-keynan"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move:- THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations on the proposed Rules of Procedure for the Election of Members to the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 25th April, 2012, subject to referral of the Rules to the Committee of the Whole House. On that day, 8th March, you made a Communication to the House regarding the procedure of elections of the members to represent the Republic of Kenya in EALA. You reminded hon. Members that the five year term of the present EALA membes, in particular the Kenya Chapter and the whole of the East African Community, will come to close on 4th June, 2012. You then stated that it was imperative for the House to commence and conclude the process of the elections of the members of EALA ahead of the inauguration of the Assembly on 5th June, 2012. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you also referred the Members to the provisions of Article 50 of the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC, which contemplates a situation where the National Assembly of each partner State will come up with the Rules of Procedure that will govern the election of the Members to EALA. These Rules of Procedure were published by the National Assembly just to enable both the Members and the public to participate. Article 50 talks about election of Members of the Assembly. The National Assembly of each partner State shall elect, not from among its Members, nine Members of the Assembly, who should represent as much as it is feasible the various political parties represented in the National Assembly, shades of opinion and other political interest groups in that particular partner State, in accordance with such procedure as the National Assembly of each partner State may determine. Secondly, a person shall be qualified to be elected to represent any of the partner States if that person qualifies to be a Member of Parliament in that particular partner State. Therefore, in our case, this person must be a citizen of the Republic of Kenya and must be qualified to be elected a Member of Parliament. We all know what an individual needs to have to qualify to be elected or nominated as a Member of Parliament. Fourthly, one is not an officer in service of the Community, namely, the EAC and fifthly, the person has a proven experience or interest in consolidating and furthering the aims and the objectives of the EAC. Article 2(6) of our Constitution provides that any Treaty or convention ratified by Kenya shall form part of the laws of Kenya under the Constitution. Therefore, the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC is part of the Kenya’s law and it governs the Members election to EALA. One of the reasons that informed the rules that we have come up with is what happened in 2006. As the leadership of this country and in particular as Members of this august House, we must always bear in mind that Kenya is a premier nation that has over the years struggled to lead from the front and God has been on side. God has been on our side when all other neighbouring States have been affected by the culture of militarism, the culture of civil wars, the culture of political instability and the culture of lack of infrastructural development. This country has been lucky and therefore, any of these misfortunes did not happen to the Republic of Kenya. Therefore, Kenya as an entity---"
}