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{
    "id": 676131,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/676131/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 235,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ganya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 18,
        "legal_name": "Francis Chachu Ganya",
        "slug": "francis-ganya"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Bill. From the outset, I oppose this Bill because it has many fundamental issues that are not right. Those with vested interests in politics and leadership of this country cannot be players in the same game. If IEBC is to be independent as stipulated in our Constitution, then it should be left as an independent commission and the commissioners should be nominated in a very independent way. Secondly, the timing of this Bill is not appropriate. As a country, we have resolved to negotiate the political future and destiny of this country. For that reason, the timing of this Bill is not appropriate. We are not in a crisis. We can wait for a week or two for us to negotiate our way out of this. Kenyans have died in this process. Because of this, I believe that we should hold on until the Joint Select Committee makes a decision about the future of this country. The truth of the matter is that while Parliament had the constitutional mandate, people made decisions outside this House and we were forced to debate and approve names here. That is the reality. Some of us were very uncomfortable with that arrangement, but this nation is bigger than all of us. In that light, we have negotiated a process as a country in which this Parliament approved those names and agreed to the process. In that regard, I am of the opinion that even debating this Bill is premature even though as a Parliament we have the mandate to debate and resolve any issue of concern to this nation as per the Constitution. There are some provisions in this Bill that I like. For instance, I am of the opinion that commissioners, not only of the IEBC, but of all other commissioners, must work on a part-time basis. Old democracies like India have very few commissioners. In South Africa, I think they are three in number and they work on part-time basis. We can have commissioners who serve on part-time basis to lead this process. At the end of the day, electoral management is done by the Secretariat, people who are well trained, work on full-time basis and have the capacity to manage elections. The work of commissioners is to give policy directions, guidelines and frameworks."
}