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{
    "id": 928126,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/928126/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 283,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mathare, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Anthony Oluoch",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13425,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Tom Oluoch",
        "slug": "anthony-tom-oluoch-2"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Let me begin at the very outset by saying that my contribution to this Bill is informed by my participation and membership in the CIOC. I would have been happy if, perhaps, a few things were resolved and, maybe, this could still be done. Where we have committees that have concurrent jurisdiction, and on this matter of the IEBC, both the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs and CIOC have been running parallel, inviting the very same team - the commissioners. The commissioners and other commissions have appeared to give input on this very same Bill. We have had situations before where this House has said committees should sit jointly. That is one other opening or possibility that could have happened on a matter that is so broad and as emotive as the conduct of elections. I would be happy if this matter can be resolved. I have heard my good friend Hon. Ngunjiri Wambugu - and I think he has just walked out - say that this Bill is capable of being amended. But, respectfully, I want to draw his attention and that of the House to the fact that this House has said before that where you want to bring an amendment, you have to restrict yourself so as not to alter the basic character and foundation of the Bill. You cannot go and look for other provisions that were not subject of the basic Bill so that you bring them as amendments. So, I would like to suggest that the crux of the matter is this: The issue about the IEBC does not lend itself to a single-issue amendment to the Elections Act. The IEBC is one of those commissions that are required to work throughout the year even after every election. Other than running the general elections, the IEBC is required to run by-elections. The IEBC is required to conduct our referendum. The IEBC is required to do continuous voter registration. The IEBC is required to do many other things which it is constitutionally mandated to do. But we all know that immediately following the general elections, there were issues that were never resolved. There were issues that were raised in both petitions that were filed about the management of the elections and about the role of the Commission vis-à-vis the role of the secretariat. Then immediately after the second elections of October, there was the resignation of four commissioners. So, there are other issues other than the selection panel that also lend credence to themselves to not having a single amendment to a Bill that is being brought here, when we can deal with all of them. There are issues about quorum. There are issues about whether to reduce the number of commissioners from nine to seven or indeed to five. There are issues to do with the secretariat and whether we should overhaul it and have a totally new one. So, I would like to respectfully submit that this Bill would better have been done justice if we had a joint select committee of the two committees that have concurrent jurisdiction. This is why, among other things, the CIOC is currently considering this Bill. On the issue of the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}