Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 414858,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/414858/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 258,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Joel Onyancha",
    "speaker_title": "The Member for Bomachoge Borabu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 127,
        "legal_name": "Joel Omagwa Onyancha",
        "slug": "joel-onyancha"
    },
    "content": "So, I want to thank my electors, the people of Bomachoge Borabu for sticking with me for four rounds. There have been issues about the Judiciary in terms of how they have resolved election disputes in this country. Mine is a classic example. In all the petitions that I have gone through, it has always been the IEBC that has been found to have problems and that is why I have been allowed to participate in the elections. I want to urge the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs to, please, sit down and find out if there is something wrong with the judicial decisions on electoral disputes in this country. I have my case in mind. The reason we went for a by-election in Bomachoge Borabu is that in one polling station, there were no counter foils found in the ballot box and this is something that was not even pleaded for by the petitioners. But the judges made it a point to nullify the election of the people of Bomachoge Borabu. Now, compare that with a similar case in Matungulu Constituency where they had a similar allegation of counterfoils missing in the ballot boxes. Matungulu went for a by-election, but in the subsequent appeal in the Court of Appeal--- In fact, the judges found out that Matungulu should not have gone for a by-election. They were saying, “Look, counterfoils are not supposed to be in the ballot boxes, rather they are supposed to be handed to the Returning Officer separately.” Look at the example of the Governor of Lamu. It was the same matter of counterfoils and the High Court found that it was not proper to hold that the election was not properly conducted simply because the counterfoils were not there. Why am I giving these examples? We make law in this House. We go for elections and there have been disputes. Let us sit down and find out if, indeed, there is something wrong with how judicial decisions are arrived at in those electoral disputes. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}