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{
    "id": 692226,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/692226/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ndiema",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1067,
        "legal_name": "Henry Tiole Ndiema",
        "slug": "henry-tiole-ndiema"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to contribute to this important Bill. From the onset, may I say I support the Bill but I think there are some amendments that will be necessary to improve on it. I will be glad if, at the Committee Stage, they are included. The Constitution of Kenya provides under Article 38 (2) that every citizen has a right to free, fair and regular elections. I emphasise the word “fair.” Every citizen has a right to elect a person. However, we saw during the last elections and there is also a tendency coming up where voters are being relocated to areas where they are not ordinarily residents for the purposes of voting for candidates of their choice. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, while it is proper that anybody can register anywhere and vote for the President, it is unfair for voters who are not residents in certain area to go to another area where they have no interest at all to participate in elections. In that way, they are overrunning the local residents and imposing a representative who is not a representative of the people. It is unfortunate that this movement of people to areas where they are not supposed to vote has not been criminalised. In the previous Constitution, one would only register where he or she is a resident or where he or she has an interest of some sort. However, under the current legislation, that is not provided. This will cause a lot of tension. Where the residents there are minority and overrun by a group that appears to be bigger and perhaps from a different community, it will cause unnecessary tension and insecurity. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is unfair that this remains so. Looking at the nomination and appointments of commissioners, we have seen under the schedule here that the interests of gender and regional balance have been taken care of. However, the issue of minorities and marginalized communities has not been taken of."
}