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{
    "id": 737056,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/737056/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 241,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Limo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1915,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Kirui Limo",
        "slug": "joseph-kirui-limo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I wish to contribute to this very important Bill. People normally say that a country cannot move forward without women. Currently, as we can see in the society, the prime movers of development are women. When it comes to political offices, the society is very unfair and expects women to take the back seat. Therefore, this affirmative action is very important. There are some pertinent issues which are making women shy away from politics and most of them are perpetuated by the society to scare them away. Therefore, we need to come up with very serious legislation and ensure they are implemented. People must have integrity while campaigning. The reason why women shy away is because the environment is volatile. It is not very good. In fact, most people shy away from politics and many leaders have not participated in constructive politics because of the way people handle campaigns. During the campaign period in the country, people talk bad things about others especially women. In fact, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the women of this country who are in this House, the Senate and in county assemblies, because they went through very serious problems and situations. As we try to ensure that we comply with this gender rule, we must also ensure that we create a friendly environment for women to participate in elective positions in this country. Unless, we do so, we are going to be legislating and nominating people into these positions without complying with the Constitution. The purpose of these nominations is to build capacity and offer women an opportunity to participate in politics. Therefore, we need to arm them with skills and the necessary requirements to ensure that they succeed when they vie. But as long as the environment is not conducive, we cannot attain this. As we support this Bill, we must think, investigate and do serious research on what other counties have done. For example, if you look at a country like Tanzania, you will find that it is doing very well. The women there are participating seriously in politics. In Kenya, we have not gone far but there are certain communities which have shown respect for their women especially the Kamba. If we look back, we will realise that there are Hon. Members who have been in politics for a long time like Hon. Nyiva Mwendwa who is still in this House. If you count the number of women who are elected in the larger Kamba community, you will find that it is bigger than any other community in Kenya. This shows that there are stereotypes in our society which have to be removed through capacity building and proper legislation to ensure that we level the ground for women to participate. 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."
}