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{
    "id": 740637,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/740637/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 231,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Bunyasi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2511,
        "legal_name": "John Sakwa Bunyasi",
        "slug": "john-sakwa-bunyasi"
    },
    "content": "are seeking to achieve, then we should start by saying that after we know – and of course this has been referred to in various clauses of the amendment and in the Constitution – the composition of the 290, we have 47 Members whom we know will be of the opposite gender, and then the 12 who are nominated are also going to be of various genders, for purposes of the parity we are seeking, the number that balances the ratios in accordance with the minimal standards that have been agreed must take that totality. So, it is not just referring to the 290. It should be referring essentially to the Parliament as it would have been constituted in accordance with the clauses that are in Articles 97 and 98 of the Constitution. That produces slightly different arithmetic. It means, therefore, that we can conduct business, beginning the 12th Parliament with a stable proportionate representation as we phase out the 47 women, which will happen 20 years after 2010. We shall have now begun to work increasingly with a greater representation of women and not wait for the time period in 20 years and then 10 years. It is not an event that will happen at one specific time. It is a process that produces that outcome. Having said that, I hope we will pay attention to the baseline that we are comparing with; which we can do in the amendment right away when this time comes up. I think the reason we are not there yet is that even in nature, representation is not done that way and in our political set up now we have many impediments outside the debating arena that result in the outcome we are looking for. We must address those impediments. First, the issue of the cost of campaign financing is runaway. We know in our society, distribution of wealth is uneven for various reasons. There may be cultural reasons, legal reasons and other reasons that lead to that. We must address that fundamental issue so that we reduce the impediments related to the highly distorted distribution of wealth in our society which comes at play when we come to elections. It does not just affect women but it also affects younger people who have not had a chance to accumulate wealth of their own. There are some exceptions. For example, the gentleman who was nominated and he is Bwana Mboga . One watchman was also nominated on the assumption that he has lower income levels than the average person in other spheres of life. There are issues that mitigate against women and youth that we need to address including campaign financing for starters. Secondly, we must act firmly within the existing law through the implementation of the law, to ensure that words and actions of hate… This hate may be cross-ethnic or gender related. People say all manner of statements. I remember in the first election I participated in, some of my supporters in Busia who were of Somali origin were concerned about the nature and interaction they can have with men. When people realised that even rubbing shoulders alone would scare them, they would go and touch their breasts which is a terrible thing to do. They did not even show up. When you reported this to the police, they would look at you and wonder what they would do. We must get serious with that. If we raised such issues like physical violence, verbal violence and issues of hate, we will encourage more women to come out. I mentioned the issue of violence. Too often violence just becomes a matter of an election. It is not normal. It is not part of an electoral process. If we begin to address those issues, we shall stabilise the base on which gender issues can be addressed. This will encourage women to get into politics. It will now become a natural phenomenon and the chances that the next person will want to run, will only be in proportions related to population. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I really think that this drive towards gender parity must be pursued. The reaction across genders on issues and challenges that we face in life are different. If we had more women taking decisions in our public life, using public resources, decisions about, for example, hunger each year, one after another, it might be addressed 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."
}