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{
    "id": 980344,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/980344/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 262,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to support and contribute to this Bill that seeks to provide mechanisms for picking our commissioners to serve in the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The IEBC conducts a very critical role in this country of ensuring that the people of Kenya are given an opportunity to pick their Presidents in a free and fair manner. Even us, the people’s representatives, Senators or Members of the National Assembly are elected in a process that is credible, free and builds confidence among the people of Kenya. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you go down memory lane, we had a big struggle on the people who are supposed to steer our electoral body. In 1997, the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) came up with formula where political parties were given slots based on their strength in Parliament. The last people who served office were invited to apply and interviewed by a panel. The good thing about this process is that now Parliament is being given a very integral role in this process in that we have four slots to be picked by the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). This is a good thing because we are trying to ensure that the people who are given this task of picking the people who should steer IEBC are men and women of integrity. I am impressed that some of the bodies we have brought on board included the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), a pioneer body that I am privileged to have served as President for a term of three years. There is also the church where the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) is to pick two people and then the Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC). Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I think if we want to build confidence in our electoral process to ensure that this idea of people resorting to demonstrations after elections stops, we need to put in place a framework that can conduct an interview that will build confidence in the people of Kenya. I do not think there is a better way of doing it than bringing on board the kind of stakeholders being captured in this Bill. In most of the elections that we have had, since we enacted this Constitution, remember in 2013, the Presidential elections were subjected to a petition in the Supreme The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}