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{
    "id": 945017,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/945017/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 85,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suna East, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Junet Nuh",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2840,
        "legal_name": "Junet Sheikh Nuh",
        "slug": "junet-sheikh-nuh"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this matter. First, I want to thank the Committee for this important Bill. This Bill dismisses the myth that we have lived with for the last seven years. That, if we do not pass the two-thirds gender Bill Parliament will be dissolved. I have been agonising quietly on that matter. It was a lie that somebody will move to the Supreme Court and dissolve the Parliament of the Republic of Kenya. I do not know how that lie gained momentum all over the country. Article 27(8) of the Constitution says that, in addition to the measures contemplated in clause (6), the State shall take legislative and other measures to implement the principle that not more than two-thirds of the members of elective or appointive bodies shall be of the same gender. As constituted here, we are not the State; we are Parliament. We are legislators. The State has three arms: The Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive. We can only legislate for the Legislature to implement the two-thirds gender rule. If you look at the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, there is nowhere where it is stated that we must legislate or bring a Bill on the two- thirds gender rule. What we are implementing is Article 100 of the Constitution, which in the Fifth Schedule says that we implement on minorities, marginalised, women and people with disabilities. So, I do not know who misled this country for that long. That man must be arrested. Who told the country that we must implement the two-thirds gender rule in this country? I knew from the word ‘go’ that, that is not in the Constitution. What is in the Constitution is Article 100 that is to be implemented under Article 27(8). Now that the Bill to implement Article 100 is properly placed before us, I support it. I want also the other arms of Government—the Executive and the Judiciary—to come up with legislative proposals on how they want to achieve the two-thirds gender rule, because it is whimsical that side. There is no proper legislation that says that the Judiciary must have two-thirds representation. Even in the Executive, it is whimsical. Now as Parliament we are legislating on it. Having said that, I do not know why we should legislate for women. If you look at the statistics of this country, normally we are told women are more than men. As we consider this Bill, I think we need to do some scientific research on how men convince women to vote for men more than for themselves. That must be done. If they are more than men, why can they not just vote for women, the way they have done to Hon. Jessica Mbalu and the rest? That scientific study can be part of the public hearing process of the Bill. The Committee must ask members of the public how comes many women vote for men. How do they convince the women to vote for them? Hon. Mbadi has more women supporters than men. I have been to his constituency. I do not know how he talks to them. What tactics is he using? Some of them could be extraordinary. He needs to share them with the House. I went to his house one time and 80 per cent of the people there, his constituents, were women. There were only 20 per cent men. So, what is that secret that Hon. Mbadi is using? Women can also use it so that they can convince more men to vote for them. Women are more objective when it comes to supporting people. Once you have the support of women and the youth, you are sure of winning a seat. 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."
}