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{
    "id": 690581,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/690581/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 169,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Chanzu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 11,
        "legal_name": "Yusuf Kifuma Chanzu",
        "slug": "yusuf-chanzu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity to support this Bill. It is a very good coincidence that we debated the earlier Bill, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, and now we are debating this Bill. There are a lot of complimentary aspects. We are talking about how best we can improve the election process and the kind of measures we can put in place just in case there are areas where we go offline. The offences which have been outlined here are good because it now makes it very clear to those who participate in the elections and those who commit the offences. There have been issues which sometimes arise out of ignorance. It is said that ignorance is no defence. However, it is very important and useful that the laws are in place and some of the aspects have been outlined so that everybody is made aware in good time. The issue of disciple and culture is something that we cannot divorce ourselves from as a country and society. So, the most important thing is to put safeguards which can be seen in advance to assist to forestall some of the offences. I do not know whether it is because we are still a developing country but there is a lot of ethnicisation of the process such that people sometimes react before the results. An example is the election of 2007, where, because of the opinion polls, people had already made up their minds in some areas of the country. In fact, if you look at what happened after that, it happened because of the preconceived ideas that were already made in the minds of the electorate and the people in some of the areas like Kisumu and Eldoret where we had a lot of violence. It is because of that. However, I think the people who were acting were not aware or conscious about the kind of offences they were committing. Some incidences were very bad just because information was given out and people relied on it. So, it is good for these rules to be in place so that awareness is created early enough and the people who commit those offences are aware in advance. There are issues of incitement that happen around the election time. Even those who lose elections and know very well that they are going to lose like to cause chaos so that results are nullified. That is why it is very useful that we have laws in place. There is the issue of the security organs. After these laws have been put in place, there will be need for them to get some kind of exposure or training on how they can be implemented. This is because there are some incidences which happen during elections and are reported to the police and the police take a lot of time to act. It is going to require a lot of facilitation in terms of means of communication in order for these offenders to be apprehended so as not to cause further damage or destruction. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}