Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 678022,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/678022/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 235,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "When we talk of women being brought in Houses of representation, it is about women of Kenya from all walks of life, from Mathare slums, Kibra, the heat of Mandera, the ravaging weather of Loiyangalani and the comfort of Runda, Muthaiga and other places, so that there is a blend. We also get very distinguished academicians like Sen. (Dr.) Zani here, who left their calling at the university to join the process of representation, legislation and oversight in Houses. The Bill before us, in its memorandum rightly seeks to amend the Constitution to give effect to the two-thirds gender principle through the creation of special seats that ensure that the gender principle is realized in Parliament and further, that the State takes legislative policy and other measures, including the setting of standards to achieve the realization of the principle. The realization of this principle and philosophy is not just about the Constitution. It is about several facets of our electoral process. When one has a partial police force that cannot ensure security for all, when one has an incompetent and untrustworthy electoral commission, when one has male-dominated political parties that do not give equal opportunities to women, then we will have these problems forever. We need to go beyond the Constitution. We have very competent women out there who have been championing for the cause of women with men who sympathise and support them like myself. Madam Temporary Speaker, I would want to see a situation where when one goes to elections, a woman candidate like yourself is given equal opportunities in terms of security, financial support if any for purposes of competition so that you can also compete and wrestle the seats from men. I would want a situation where during elections, if a male candidate is given one police officer for security, and a woman should be given three because they suffer more disadvantages than men. Men have the capacities to marshal youths to confront any situation as they go round campaigning, but most women, except for a few, do not have that capacity. They need to be protected and given an opportunity to campaign. I have seen situations where women candidates stand on a platform to address people and hired hooligans with red eyes, obviously looking drunk, torment them with all manner of issues, such as, who their husband is, when they were married, where their children are and such questions that have no bearing on being a leader. Those questions from these hired and red-eyed hooligans demoralize women completely from going to any other campaign meeting with the same men who are doing the same things. One time I was attending a campaign rally, and out of the blues, some youth emerged with a placard displaying that a woman candidate in the same constituency was the previous night seen locked up in a room with a man who was not her husband. Obviously, it was false because this woman stood up to say that since the campaigns started she had been with her husband throughout. However, assuming the placards were The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}