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{
    "id": 762695,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/762695/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 1190,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kimunya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": "electoral system. For now, I will agree with the Committee. I believe they received enough representations but we need to look at it in future, in terms of opening up the qualifications. I want to propose, for consideration by the Chair of the Committee, a small amendment to Clause 4. You will notice that we are amending by reducing the quorum from at least five Members to a half of the existing Members. We realise that Kenyans have become very litigatious. There are especially those people who want to keep going to court for small interpretations. In order to avoid a lot of our time being taken by people trying to say half of seven is 3.5 and there is no 0.5 human being, much as we know it is captured within a general interpretation legislation I suggest, now that we are changing this clause, that we add the words “at least” before “a half” on clause 4 so that it will read that the quorum shall be at least half of the existing Members, just to avoid mischief from people who want to keep on going to court for small interpretations. I am also very encouraged with the changes that we are making today. We have been accused of doing this for a specific purpose. However, going by what we are now getting in the media – that, one of the presidential candidates has withdrawn from the race – we take it that the amendment we are making on Clause 10 pertains to future elections. As of now, lawyers will advise us accordingly but I believe we still have an election. More importantly, going forward, the amendment we are making will avoid the mischief that we have witnessed; where somebody who knows very clearly that they are not prepared to go for an election, goes ahead and collects money from some gullible Kenyans through some pay bill number. When the money is enough, he decides to organise some international trip to go for shopping instead of participating in the election. That mischief is what we will cure so that people know that once you are a candidate, you must go on. Let us have that certainty to avoid people misusing poor Kenyans. When they ask questions, they are told to go to the streets and demonstrate. I believe that with the passage of this Bill, future elections will be more certain. We will not be worried about what happens when somebody masquerades as a candidate and then withdraws, knowing that they were not intending to participate in the elections in the first place. With those remarks, I beg to support and ask the Chair of the Committee to consider my proposed amendment to Clause 4 to include the words “at least” for avoidance of doubt in future. Thank you."
}