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{
    "id": 461751,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/461751/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 308,
    "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": "I can see that one of the things we are providing for is regulation on the amount of media time that would be given to candidates and political parties. Again, this is very unrealistic. For instance, I know of a media house that purported to support my party during the last election but if you read their sub-line messages and looked at the colours that the anchors kept on wearing during that period, you would realise that they had absolutely no indication of supporting our party. So, those are matters we need to leave to media houses to decide, so that viewers can decide who to watch. Those are market issues that should be left to the reality of the market dynamics. I would also like to suggest to the Committee to re-look at Clause 7(8), in relation to what I have said about giving so much authority to parties. Clause 7(8) says that where a candidate’s expenditure committee fails to submit the preliminary nomination expenditure report referred to in sub-section 5(c), the party candidate shall be disqualified from contesting in that election. I am sorry that this provision is not in relation to the parties but rather to the IEBC. As we know, the IEBC is partisan and if we want to leave this responsibility to the IEBC, we will be seeing a lot of disqualifications of parties. So, that is something we must leave to Parliament, and not to the IEBC. Hon. Speaker, again, we are giving the IEBC very draconian powers in Clause 13(4). I hope that I will be able to give some written submissions to the Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs. I am glad that the able Deputy Chairperson of the Committee is here. Clause 13(4) says that where a candidate disqualified under sub-section (2) is a party candidate, the candidate shall not be replaced by another candidate from that political party. Again, we are being realistic with a country that is ethnicised. If you disqualify a candidate from where I come from and you say that ODM shall not field another candidate, we shall essentially have disenfranchised that community. If you field a TNA candidate, that will not be our candidate. That is the reality on my ground. I am sure that the reverse would be the case in hon. Kabando wa Kabando’s ground. So, let us be realistic. Sometimes we come to this House and say very fanciful things. We cheat ourselves. We say nice things that make us sound like nice and democratic leaders yet the reality is totally different. Again, I would like to encourage the Committee to define who a foreigner is since we are excluding support by foreigners. I do not know whether if my husband decides to support me, I would be committing a crime. I am not married in Kenya. So, if my husband decided to support my campaign, would I be committing a crime? I must have committed a crime in the last elections. It is just fortunate that the law was not in place then. Talking about the reality on the ground, I want to especially talk about groups like women and the youth, who do not have funds. I will give you my example. I am a lawyer. I have been here before but I can tell you that the amounts of money that you need for campaign are huge. So, even as I was campaigning, people were busy giving me support as I went to the ground. How then do you get your Kshs50,000, you go and bank it and report it? I know that my time is up. So, I will give a written submission to the Committee. With those remarks, I beg to support the Motion with amendments. 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."
}