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{
"id": 334431,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/334431/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona",
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"speaker": {
"id": 376,
"legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
"slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support. In supporting, I wish to indicate that every week in this House, Members of Parliament ask Questions relating to provision of identity cards. It is a fact that many Kenyans do not have identity cards. If you do not issue these identity cards, many Kenyans will be disenfranchised, especially young people. I arrived yesterday morning from Remba Island, which is near Uganda and, people asked me to raise a parliamentary Question in relation to the same issue. There are over 7,000 Kenyans on that island from all over the country. We have Kenyan Somalis, Luhyas, Luos, and many other tribes, on that island. Even though they are very enthusiastic to vote, most of them do not have identity cards. Given the very strict timelines that we have by law, and given that the elections are just around the corner, even if we allow time for people to get identity cards, it will become impossible for them to actually apply and get the identity cards. They do not have these identity cards, not because of any fault of their own, but because the Government did not put in place the machinery to enable those people to get identity cards in good time. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is not the only place affected. I spoke to the chiefs in charge of that area and they told me that they had challenges in relation to fuel and even boats to reach the several islands that are in both Mbita and Gwasi constituencies. If you look at the Constitution, it provides that we can use any document of identification. A document of identification is not necessarily an identity card. If we had meant it very specifically an identity card, then in the Constitution, we would have stated an identity card. But since we stated a document of identification, a waiting card can identify you by law. If we provide for it by law, then it will be sufficient for people to register as voters. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also support because if you look at Section 29, it provides that for the party nomination processes. You must be nominated by registered members of a party. Even though this may not be a problem, because we have seen that the office of the Registrar of Political Parties is not very efficient, you find that as much as I may have registered myself as a member of ODM party, if you go to that office, it might be showing me as a member of Tip Party. Therefore, by the time you try and clear up the mess in that office, we will have stopped many people from nominating their favourite candidates. I, however, want to suggest that instead of just removing the requirement altogether for registration, at the Committee Stage, we provide that this is a role that should be given to parties. So, it will be the party that will come up with its own list of its members. Again, if we open it up too much, then we will make it liable manipulation by competing parties. For example, now that we have formed a formidable coalition, we know some people might want to import in people to disrupt others, especially my good friend, Mr. Isaac Ruto. With those few remarks, I support. Mr. Isaac Ruto is asking me to repeat what I said, but he is under an obligation to be attentive. I support."
}