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{
    "id": 687669,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/687669/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 434,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Anyang'-Nyong'o",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 193,
        "legal_name": "Peter Anyang' Nyong'o",
        "slug": "peter-nyongo"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I was thanking the IEBC for having been intransigent. That made us go to the streets to protest and call for their leaving. The Government supported them for some time. They were more intransigent. Finally the whole world realised that there was something wrong in Kenya and the other side came to the negotiation table. That is what I call struggle. If they had not been intransigent, we would not have struggled. We were determined to get an IEBC that would run elections properly. That forced the other side to come to the table and we have this law. Thanks to those who have been prepared to sacrifice for proper democratization in this country. On the Floor of this House, I thank all Kenyans who came out to say, “IEBC must go.” We have won. We must congratulate ourselves. Therefore, now we have a good law. However, this law will not continue being good if as Sen. Wako says, it is not implemented. The implementation of this law requires some political hygiene in this country. In other words, let us have people in public service who respect the Constitution, law and order and will implement this Constitution. Let us have a Government which knows that they may be in office today, thanks to the sovereignty of the Kenyan people who have exercised their rights in democratic elections to put them in power. They are not in power because they have money or were born in a certain region of this country. They are in power, thanks to the Kenyan people who have exercised their rights in this Constitution according to these election laws to put them in power. When the people of Kenya through the same Constitution and the same law vote in an election, let the rights of those Kenyans be respected and let people go in and out of office according to this law and our Constitution. Then, we will have a proper political hygiene and culture in this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, therefore, what has failed in Africa and has just happened in Zambia last week is that; elections are held, some people win but those in power refuse to go out and put countries in a lot of jeopardy. Zambia does not lack proper electoral laws or a Constitution; but so long as we have men and women in power who have bad political hygiene, we shall not have our democracy progressing. While we may have good laws, we still have another mile to travel. This mile is to institutionalize a democratic political culture in our nation. I do not want to celebrate this law until I see 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."
}