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{
    "id": 859602,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/859602/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tongaren, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Eseli Simiyu",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 141,
        "legal_name": "David Eseli Simiyu",
        "slug": "david-eseli"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker for this chance to also make my contribution to this Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill. Elections in this country are a complex event. They are so complex that unless we put in a law, we will definitely not have the number of women that we require. We must put in a law so that we are able to get the requisite number of women as dictated by the Constitution. Despite the constitutional dictate, it is important that we also add women to our leadership in this country. Several countries have been unable to do this, including the great America. Hon. Duale said he supports the Republicans, but when the Americans were faced with a choice of a brilliant white American lady versus an obnoxious and racist male, they chose the racist male and that is how Hillary Clinton lost. Therefore, I consider this Bill a step in the right direction, but it is trying to solve a complex problem with a very lazy legislation. This problem is complex in the sense that if you heard Hon. Millie Odhiambo yesterday when she said how she has suffered in elective politics, including her house being burnt and her bodyguard being killed… So, the whole election process in this country is so bad that even if we have a sunset clause here that talks of after 20 years, the women will still not be able to handle the electoral process in this country. It is dangerous. It is even getting worse as the years go by. Trust me, I have been in three elections and in each election; things are getting more vicious and more expensive. I do not think this Bill alone will cure that. I think we need to look at this thing broadly. Let us look at our electoral laws. Is the first past the post the best way to go? If we still maintain the first past the post way, then we still are going to have difficulties meeting the gender rule because a first past the post electoral system does not favour women. Perhaps, we need to bite the bullet and look at our electoral system. Perhaps, it is time we thought of proportional representation. In that case, we will have the 290 members here and there will be gender balance. The disabled and the youth will be included among those 290 members without necessarily bloating this House out of proportion. While this is a good step in trying to cure the problem of having very few women represented in this House, I think it is a lazy way of going about it. Let us bite the bullet. Let us go the whole hog and make a proper legislation that will ensure that the women are also represented here. Otherwise, this is too lazy and it will not work. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}