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{
    "id": 461749,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/461749/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Odhiambo-Mabona",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 376,
        "legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
        "slug": "millie-odhiambo-mabona"
    },
    "content": "Therefore, this is an excellent law, but, again, like every other law I am sure that we will shove it away somewhere and not deal with it. I, therefore, would like to suggest to the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs that we need to substantively amend this law to align it with the realities of this country. I will start with the political parties. You are giving so much faith and credence to the political parties. I do not have that much faith in political parties. These are vehicles that we use to come to this House. All political parties, without exception, are very “mannerless.” They do not follow any rules of political parties. My political party is no exception. Also TNA is no exception. I can give you the examples. The hon. Member from Nyeri was denied her certificate. I had to fight for days to get my certificate. Those are the theatrics we see in our political parties. The political parties must first learn to practise internal democracy. That is why you see Kenyans are beginning to start, even though in small measures, having faith in independent candidates. If it were not for the issue which is another malady that we have in this country of ethnicity, I can assure you that the issues of political parties would be a thing of the past. Unfortunately we are also in love with our negative ethnicity and so long as you put--- I remember somebody said that there are areas that even if you put a dog for as long as it belongs to that party, it would be elected. As long as it comes from the right ethnic community, it will be elected. I am looking forward, although it might not happen in my lifetime, to a country where people would actually elect others based on you as a person, that is, on the principles that you stand for as a person and not because you are Luhyia, Kisii or Kikuyu. I look forward for the day when a Luo who lives in Othaya would be elected because of his principles. I know there are a few instances where we have elected a few minorities, for example, members of the Asian community. It is not because of psychic, but we do not see them as threatening. A Luo will always be threatening to a Kikuyu and a Kikuyu will always be threatening to a Luo. Woe unto us Kenya, but I hope one day we will get there. The Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs should not put this much faith in political parties by asking hon. Members to set up committees with political parties and asking Members to give reports to political parties. We share this view with most Members here and so I am not just speaking in relation to ODM. For most people here, the only thing you see with your political parties is when you are getting your certificate. There is absolutely no support from the political party and it applies to almost every Member. So, why are we putting so much faith in people who are overwhelmed? They do not have the capacity and yet you are saying that we give them committees. Really, I think we are being over ambitious. We are putting the same faith in IEBC and most of us have absolutely no faith in the IEBC, from what we have seen. In fact, they have created the greatest divisions amongst Kenyans by what they do and what they do not do. I will only have faith in something that I am involved in doing. Let all these things be done by Parliament. We have the time. The standards that you are talking about, the amount of campaign financing that you are putting to IEBC, let Parliament set it. The IEBC is also generally very unrealistic about the amount of money. You saw in the last Parliament that the amount of money that they set for the women candidate was absolutely impossible for 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."
}