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{
    "id": 717474,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/717474/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ogolla",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1264,
        "legal_name": "Gideon Ochanda Ogolla",
        "slug": "gideon-ochanda-ogolla"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I support this Motion given the fact that we are in a situation that could be fait accompli in the sense that there are many things that if we do not have this going through now, it will not be good for this country. First, we ought to have had this Commission in place by the end of December. It is clear that we are not going to have it before the end of January. So, it is important that this Commission is in place. Secondly, we are in a situation where the country needs to cool down and build for purposes of elections. That is very critical. If you look at it in terms of fait accompli, I do not see the much critical parts of the process that are remaining apart from the date of the polling and the counting. In my view those are the main critical stages of our electoral process that one would like to isolate because all the others have been done. Immediately we are through with the registration by the end of next month, the whole process will be over. We are left with two critical points. So, I do not think this Commission is going to do much. It will be unable to influence much on anything. Because of that, it is important that my colleagues look into this and support the Motion. As I do this there are two things I wanted to bring out. First, Parliament finds itself in a very precarious situation based on certain things that happened in the processes of identifying potential people who are supposed to be commissioners. Something happens that is extraordinary between the final stage of the Selection Panel and the stage when this list was presented to Parliament. Some hands are not helping the President very well. As the President brings in names and list of potential people to this Parliament some important and serious names are left out. If you look at these people critically, you will realise that the Selection Panel had listed nominees who are respected Kenyans and ought not to have been left out even if they were looking at the region, ethnicity and all manner of things. There are people who have done useful things in this country particularly in these electoral processes and are more knowledgeable. Somebody like Aura, has done quite a lot in terms of our elections and consultancy on electoral processes. The same applies to Roselyn Odede. These are people who have played critical roles in this country. Their names disappeared. Finally, when the President brings names to this Parliament, we find ourselves in a very precarious situation. I do not think Parliament needs to get to a situation where we are taking names back to the President so that he re-looks at them. Somebody had a hand in the process of helping the President to come up with preferred people and messed at one stage or another. This is something which one needs to note, that sometimes Parliament as an institution finds itself in a situation which is not very helpful to the country. As at now, this is not possible. On the debate about the personalities who have been brought in the name of either the Chair or other members--- there is a nominee to the Commission, whose experience is beyond the date she was in school. If you look at the cumulative time that she presented as the experience she had in various places, you will find that it is much longer than the time when she was in school and her age at the moment. This kind of a mix up is very critical and needs to be looked at. 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."
}