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{
    "id": 710485,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/710485/?format=api",
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    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "Hon. Members, my office has of late received a number of inquiries from Hon. Members relating to their participation in public collections and Harambee, and the requirements of the law in relation to such participation. These inquiries are presumably precipitated by the impending next general elections that are almost upon us, and the recent passage by the House of the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Election Offences Act. Therefore, I would like to offer the following guidance in addressing the concerns. Hon. Members, as you are all aware, Chapter Six of the Constitution outlines the principles of leadership and integrity that all state and public officers must observe in the service of the people. With regard to conduct, Article 75(1) of the Constitution provides as follows:- “A State officer shall behave, whether in public and official life, in private life, or in association with other persons, in a manner that avoids— (a) any conflict between personal interests and public or official duties; (b) compromising any public or official interest in favour of a personal interest; or (c) demeaning the office the officer holds. Hon. Members, as you may recall, this House subsequently passed the Leadership and Integrity Act 2012 (No.19 of 2012), which implements Chapter Six of the Constitution. When I say “this House” I mean the 10th Parliament. In addition to the above prescription, the Elections Act, 2011 ( No.24 of 2011) limits the period within which, and the purpose for which persons intending to stand for election may participate in public collections. Section 26 of the said Act provides as follows: “(1) A person who directly or indirectly participates in any manner in any public fundraising or Harambee within eight months preceding a general election or during an election period, in any other case, shall be disqualified from contesting in the election held during that election year or election period. (2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to a fundraising for a person who is contesting an election under this Act or to a fundraising for a political party.” To clarify this, it means that you can call a few of your friends to contribute for your campaigns or for your parties but you may not go to help others to do the same. Section 2 of the Act defines Harambee to mean public collection of monies or other property in aid or support of a course or project. 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."
}