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{
    "id": 676213,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/676213/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 317,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Opiyo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1174,
        "legal_name": "Jared Odhiambo Opiyo",
        "slug": "jared-odhiambo-opiyo"
    },
    "content": "During that conversation some people were saying that the IEBC is not trusted and must go while others were saying they see nothing wrong with the IEBC. A section of this House was of the opinion that if any reforms have to be done around the IEBC, they are supposed to be done in this House. Later on when the President was engaged and he engaged the entire country and they agreed that we form a Select Committee, many of these people agreed that that was actually the right route to take. For us to go back just within days of formation of that Committee and try to reform the electoral system through the House; a process that was opposed by a section of the country is to take us back to square one where we were. This is where a section of the country was patrolling the streets and singing “IEBC must go.” The recommendations that have been made in this Bill are not in bad faith, but I think the fact that we look like we are not supportive of the Joint Committee is what makes this Bill totally out of place. I urge all Members of this House to reject it. The proposal to reduce the membership of the IEBC is a welcome move. You know the conversation that has been going on in this august House is to reduce the number of commissioners in all the independent commissions in this country. Sometimes I wonder why nine commissioners sit in offices and say that they are managing the electoral process. What do they do between one election and another if not sitting and taking tea and planning how to engage in corrupt procurement deals? It is only in this country where you have members of a commission, who are supposed to make policy for the commission, engaging in procurement activities of the commission and yet they have a secretariat. Ghana which has been conducting very successful elections has a lesser number of electoral commissioners. I think we could reduce the number to two, three or even one member. What we want is a commission that will deliver truly fair and free elections. What baffles me is that in Kenya, even if you choose people who look like angels, once they sit in those offices, they get compromised and turn into nothing. If this House may please, we may suggest that we hire foreigners to come and do this job and fix it once and for all. Once the systems have been fixed, they can let us run our own elections. We have tried our best."
}