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"id": 690266,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/690266/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. A. B. Duale",
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"legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
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"content": "IEBC both in terms of budget and operations. So, the IEBC is supposed to engage an independent firm to conduct audit, verify the accuracy of the register and submit the Report of the audit to Parliament. Through its Committees, Parliament must do the implementation. Madam Speaker, Clause 7--- I am sorry, it is Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. You know it is mostly madams who sit on the Chair these hours of the day. So, I have just said it. My apologies, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Clause 7 seeks to amend Section 10 of the Elections Act, 2011 to provide that a person shall be eligible to vote if his or her name and the biometric voter data are entered in the register of voters, and if that person produces an identification document used at the time of registration. This is very tricky. I warn that when you walk to a voting booth, the first thing you encounter is the biometric gadget. If it captures you, well and good; you will then move to the biometric register which allows the election officer to cancel your name. What happens in a scenario where the biometric machine does not capture your data or does not show it? What happens in rural Kenya where the machine fails because there is no power? It is upon this House to say that we must have both systems concurrently. We will give preference to the biometric register, unless the IEBC tells us otherwise. This happened in the last election. By 11 O’clock, all those machines collapsed. Because there is an amendment in this law where we are saying that those machines must be confirmed to be working 90 days before the general election, it may be better. That is what I am saying. Clause 8 seeks to amend Section 13 of the Elections Act, 2011. It is dealing with the period for the conducting of party primaries from, at least, 45 days before the general election to, at least, 60 days before the general election. So, party primaries must be conducted 60 days before the elections. This is to give a leeway to check what has been happening. Party primaries are done very close to the election and where there are disputes, parties do not get time to resolve them. This is where we feel one candidate has been given the certificate when he does not deserve it. The 60 days are meant to give parties, through their election boards and leadership, time to make sure they to deal with every case that comes up. Clause 9 seeks to amend Section 28 of the Elections Act, 2011 to alter the date of submission of the party membership list to the commission from, at least, 45 days before the date of the general election to, at least, 90 days before the date of the general election. So, the time in between when you submit the party list to the IEBC and the time of elections is 90 days. Clause 10 seeks to amend Section 31 of the Elections Act, 2011. This is to require the commission to conduct and supervise party primaries upon request of a political party. The Constitution, under Article 88, has given that mandate to the IEBC. Here, the Joint Select Committee realised that, if party “X” wants that to be done, it has a leeway. However, there is no compulsion on that. I can speak for the Jubilee coalition. We want to go that way. We want the choice of the people to go to the general election. We do not want quacks, girlfriends or boyfriends of party leaders and party officials. We also do not want those whose wallets are fat and can buy tickets."
}