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{
    "id": 669998,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/669998/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Midiwo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 184,
        "legal_name": "Washington Jakoyo Midiwo",
        "slug": "jakoyo-midiwo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. You are a fair Temporary Deputy Speaker. You give us a chance and then you give three members on the other side. You know your job and that is nice. I rise to support this Bill. This Bill is shallow. The electoral process requires a much bigger overhaul than what we have. Nonetheless, it is an expression of the will and the wish to make our elections run smoothly. One of the issues which arise in this Bill – and which has been ably articulated by my sister, Hon. Milly and a few other members – is academic qualifications. I appeal to my colleague, Hon. Milly, to understand. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you remember, although that time you were taking a sabbatical, it was Hon. Wetangula and I who opposed the degree requirement. We said that the people needed time. There were many councilors who wanted to be MCAs, but did not have the papers. So, we needed to give them time. I am now of a different opinion. Seeing the kind of monies that go to the counties, there needs to be higher understanding of academic nature in the budget-making process. A balance must be found. Some of the nominations we have, particularly in the county assemblies, are of illiterate people. We cannot gloss over this issue. We must face it head-on. We cannot have an illiterate person debating and looking at the budget of a county. I want to go on record. I have said that I was the one who helped kick out that requirement. I understand. However, there are Members, even in this House, who do not have degrees, but they are very good legislators. The Constitution prescribes what minimum education is. At least, let us put in law the requirement of that minimum education. There is nothing wrong. Our education system is so rigorous. There are many people who go to school up to Form Four who are probably better schooled than somebody who has passed an exam and went into a university class. So, a balance can be found. But let us not leave this thing free for all again. We cannot. It is not good for our country. It is not good to please people. If somebody is a good politician and he is illiterate, we can nominate their children for the sake of interrogation of the budget. That is what our legislatures are meant to do in the thinking of our Constitution. We now have assemblies where governors have become the procurement officers. The government abrogates and violates every law in the book because of lack of capacity to read and keep up with their intentions. I am willing to be in the team of my colleague, Hon. Millie, and my friend, Hon. (Dr.) Naomi, to find a balance. Something must happen. We will have done our country a great deal. Those people are too many and something has to happen. We have given them time. If you go back to the HANSARD, you will see the contributions of my party leader, Hon. Wetangula. He said that we should give them time. Let us keep to that promise. I know many MCAs and Members here have gone to school. Let us strike a balance and we move forward. Some of the amendments we are going to bring here are the ones that brought issues in the recent past. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has constantly used the law the way it suits them by recommending a way forward on how we can do a referendum. We must have a law that commits the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to do a referendum. It is interesting how we have ended up with the 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."
}