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{
    "id": 759150,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/759150/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 96,
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    "content": "are more important to them than doing the legislative work which they have been elected to do. The Motion before us seeks to appoint five Senators to the Select Committee to consider the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill. Sen. Dullo, Sen. Wamatangi, Sen. Sakaja, Sen. (Rev.) Waqo and Sen. Cheruiyot, are proposed to be Members of that select committee. I support that they should be Members of the Committee. They are people of great calibre and I know all of them for the short time I have been here. Three of them were in the last Parliament, that is, Sen. Dullo, Sen. Wamatangi, Sen. Cheruiyot and Sen. Sakaja who was with me in the other House. Therefore, I support the formation of this Committee. Having seen the Bill just briefly, the amendments that are proposed are very clear. They will simplify the elections system. The amendments will not actually change many things, but make the process simple, accurate, transparent and verifiable. The amendments to the Bill seek to clear the confusion that we saw through the petition which was adjudicated on by the Supreme Court. Therefore, this Select Committee should be put in place, so that the Bill can be brought before the House. There is no harm in the two Houses having their own Bills. We are a House and can initiate our own laws. The other House can do the same, but at a given stage, through the process that is between the two Houses, they can be harmonised so that there is no variance in terms of the laws which are being enacted. Our friends on the other side should come back sooner so that this House can continue with its mandate. We do not have committees in place and we cannot sit and wait for them. Life must go on. I thank the leadership of this side for initiating the process. First, I thank Sen. Dullo for bringing the Bill and secondly, the Motion that this select Committee be put in place so that this matter goes on. We will actually keep talking about how we disagree with our colleagues regarding going to the streets and creating uncertainty and confusion in the country on a matter which is otherwise very simple. We held elections and Kenyans made their decision. It was challenged and the Supreme Court invalidated the results and we are supposed to go back for election on 26th October, 2017. Please let us go back to that election. The Bill before us is to make the election process simpler. Today I heard some people arguing that these laws were actually through some negotiations. I was in the Joint Select Committee which came up with the process of the removal of the former Commission of the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) and what laws need to be put in place. When the laws were brought the House was deprived of its right even to change one word, comma or full stop. The law was passed the way it was and that is why we have this confusion today. Parliament has now decided to look at the laws and see what is in the best interest of the country or what can be done in terms of the election laws. It is time for us to go through the laws and amend where necessary. The two Houses were not able to amend then because it was agreed so by some quarters, but let us now exercise our mandate as legislators, which is to make laws. No other institution makes laws for us; we make laws for this country. Therefore, let us amend the laws and see if they are actually workable."
}