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"speaker_name": "Sen. Kihika",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13216,
"legal_name": "Susan Wakarura Kihika",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Elections (Amendment) Bill (Senate Bills No. 18 of 2019) by Sen. (Eng.) Maina. I agree with him that it is necessary and important to include people’s nicknames in their electoral documents because there are people who have been known by certain nicknames for years. Many people in the villages may not know the legal names of a person other than their nickname. Another aspirant can actually benefit when the voters do not know the legal name of their candidate. I believe that this will go a long way in allowing people to exercise their rights by voting for the person that they want. We can enable them do that by helping them identify their candidates on the ballot. I am not sure if there are limitations to the nicknames that one can have. I do not know how we will handle a situation where one has three nicknames. When the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights held a public participation on this Bill, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) raised a question on how they will handle a situation where 70 aspirants, who have nicknames, vie for the position of Member of County Assembly. The question was whether the many nicknames will affect the layout of the ballot paper having in mind the expenses involved. However, I do support this and I believe that it is timely. It will help entrench the rights of the people by helping them vote for the right candidate."
}