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{
    "id": 576386,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/576386/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 261,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kaluma",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1565,
        "legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
        "slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity to talk about this important matter. There is a worry that this will affect the term of the President, which is a matter that requires a referendum under Article 255(1)(f) of the Constitution. May I disabuse my colleagues in the House of that belief; really that is not so. The term of the President has specific definition under the Constitution under Article 142. What it says is that time is the period when the President will sit until a new President is elected into office. So, it is not cast in law in terms of the period during which the President will sit. So, until a new President is elected and sworn in, the President will be serving a term in office; it is not about the number of terms, but a term in office. So, if we hold elections in March, 2018 and we held them in December last time, there will be nothing unconstitutional requiring a referendum of the type we see in neighbouring countries, which would have been untoward. Article 142 imports the provisions of Article 136(2)(b), which defines the term of a Member of Parliament. May I agree with my fellow legislators, who have spoken to the effect that the presidential term is tied to the term of Parliament. I think that is what was worrying people, whether this will affect the presidential term and, therefore, will subject the process to a referendum. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for Members of Parliament, the term is said, under Article 136(2), to be the time the next general election is held. So, it is not cast in stone in terms of the period in the manner we have the term of Members of County Assembly (MCAs) under Article 177(4). By the way, for the MCAs it is a clear five year term. May I disabuse you of the thinking that because MCAs must serve for five years, the President must also serve for two years. This country has been talking about the need to stagger elections. The impropriety of running six elections at a polling station for our Kenyan citizenry at one time has been an issue. There have been questions: Do we separate the elections for the county governments and MCAs from the elections for the national Government led by the President and Members of Parliament? This is an opportunity created by the Constitution, and it is something we may be thinking about. So, we will be in office until the next general election. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, beautiful things have been said about this Bill. If you consider the education cycle and what happens in the middle of the year when we also have 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."
}