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{
    "id": 945195,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/945195/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 263,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ijara, PDR",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sophia Noor",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 375,
        "legal_name": "Sophia Abdi Noor",
        "slug": "sophia-noor"
    },
    "content": "parties nominate 12 Members to this House. This is to treat the problem that we have with minority groups, PWDs, women and youth so that we have adequate representation of these groups. This legislation is not saying that we will reserve Dagoretti South Constituency for either a woman or a PWD. So, when you have reservations on the legislation because you fear your constituency will be reserved for either a woman or a PWD, then you have not gone through this legislation properly. When the Committee is amending the Persons with Disabilities Act of 2003, it is talking about promotion of PWDs for inclusion in decision-making bodies. The council can promote, through civic education, sensitise communities and mobilise. That is what we want to see in the legislation, so that they can promote properly. The other thing is where they say that we need to put in place communication systems for PWDs, particularly the hearing and visually impaired, so that we can have proper communication systems within the electoral system to encourage and promote participation of PWDs. In the amendment of the IEBC Act of 2011, interest groups are well defined in the Constitution. Article 100 has already defined them. Why do we need to redefine it? If we let another body to redefine them, they may use their own language. The Constitution is the supreme law of this country and it has given a clear definition. Who are these people? They are women, PWDs, youth and minority communities. This is what it says. So, the Committee needs to relook at that. The proposal that requires voter education is perfect and in order. For people to participate properly, there needs to be a lot of civic education, so that people can be reached through social media, mainstream media and through public participation. Public participation is a key principle in our Constitution. The Constitution says that we must give people a chance to contribute to anything that concerns their lives and livelihoods and the decisions that are going to be made within the political arena. Public participation is key. So, I agree with the Committee in having civic education. The other important provision is on political parties. Political parties are the small animals that mess up the election process in this country. They are owned by individuals who have the capacity and resources and can manipulate party nominations the way they want. We have seen the problems women have gone through in political party nominations. We have seen what happens. We know the calibre of women who are qualified, who are experts, who you know are on top of everything, but when it comes to political party nominations, they get challenged. So, we need to have tough laws on political parties, so that we can create an enabling environment for women within those political parties. If we do not have laws that will promote the interest of women within political parties, then it is going to be a problem. Some of us miss nomination by our political parties and have to use small parties at the end of the day. My political party was two months old when I joined it. So, what I am saying is that women are disadvantaged at all levels of political parties. I ask my brother with whom we worked together in the 10th Parliament and we have done a lot in terms of advancing the interests of women in this country, to relook at the provisions. I am going to do my research and bring amendments, so that we can tighten the provisions on political parties, so that political parties can have discipline. The other issue is election campaign financing. People have different capacities of financing their campaigns. We must have a competitive platform, so that everybody has equal 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."
}