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{
    "id": 461747,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/461747/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 304,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mwaura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13129,
        "legal_name": "Isaac Maigua Mwaura",
        "slug": "isaac-mwaura"
    },
    "content": "question of power politics. It is a question of them not getting opportunities to participate in economic life. It is a question of them not being independent but rather dependent on others or rather being subjugated to support the economic dominance of others. So, therefore, women, persons with disabilities, youth, ethnic and other minorities that may not have been able to have acquired political space or clout to negotiate for political space, then are not able to access political space through political parties and through the elections that are supposed to be equal because of the universal suffrage. Because of the challenges that they face, they always have to spend more than the rest of the candidates. Therefore this Bill on election financing is extremely important in empowering these groups of people so that we can see more and more of them in leadership even in this Parliament. They should not be seen as pariahs. They should not be seen as if they only come here through affirmative action. They should not be seen as if they are lesser political leaders than others. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is very important that this Bill has come to the House. This is because it criminalizes what was not criminal before. Indeed, it is an offence for you to spend more than what ought to be. Even if you are not to spend any money, at the end of the day a candidate shall be elected and there will be a winner and a loser. This tells us that the window of spending money in order to influence an election is actually defeating the will of the people. Therefore, criminalizing spending in campaigns is critical. It is going to encourage young professionals who fear coming into the space of politics. It is going to ensure that, indeed, people are also accountable and they reveal their sources of funding and that they are not bribed by business cartels and foreign countries wanting to impose their will on Kenyans. I think it also encourages independence so that people can know that they won elections based on their ideas and not because of sycophancy or somebody funded them. We know that he who pays the piper calls the tune. It behooves upon the hon. Members to look at their duties as purely defined within the confines of legislation, oversight and representation. I support."
}