constituency public hearings, mandera east ... - ConstitutionNet

20We want the 25% rule of Presidential candidate, he must gunner 25% from 5 provinces in Kenya. We are supporting that,because, we feel that the people from North Eastern province, where even its difficult to reach, even you guys you could notcome by road, and where people even say there is not a lot of population, they say if you remove from the 25% rule, aPresidential candidate will even forget this region. They will not even see these areas, and being that Kenya is about land, it isnot only about population, and North Eastern is one third of Kenya land size - the 25% rule, must stay, so we support thatThe National Assembly, the area we represent is very large, very diverse and our representation cannot be very effective.Others may say our population is small, but every individual is important, every Member of Parliament must reach thatindividual, and I will give comparisons. Whereas in a constituency in Nairobi, or a constituency in Molo where there is bigpopulation, a Member of Parliament, in those areas, can be able to reach those people within a day or within two days, becauseif have announced for a public baraza, that the constituency in that area to come, in either two or three places, and the Memberof Parliament will have effective representation and will be able to reach those people. If we talk about civic education, if wetalk about governance, about representations, it is able to reach. For me now, I represent Mandera East, I have about 6 or 5divisions. The road network is poor, the area is large, for me to reach every constituency, of mine, say even in a gathering inlocations, or a particular village, it will not take me less than 3 weeks. Everything is about representation.Therefore, Kenya is not only about people, about populations, it is also about the land, it is about effective representation. Ipropose that Members of Parliament, or constituencies be increased in this province and in particular in Mandera East. I want,for effective representation, at least we want a minimum of another constituency. So in this constituency here, I want it to bedivided, we need to have two more constituencies for effective representation. If you ask me why, I will tell you more.About the Judiciary, - The kadhis court, we want the Kadhis court to be strengthened. Right now we have the magistratecourts, and if anybody, a muslim is agrieved, he will appeal to High Court. You will not have the same spirit, so the High Courtwill interprete if somebody complains not according to the Islamic law, on which they had a lot of problems, and as such weneed the Kadhis to be taken up to High Court. At the High Court they should not be appealable on issues of inheritance, orissues of divorce and other jurisdictions. We want the khadi’s court to be strengthened and they should not be appealable.On the issue of development, and marginalisation, that is a very serious issue, it is not a small matter. We have seen those whohave come here, how they have reacted, that is the story everywhere. We are part of Kenya, North Eastern is one third of theKenyans’ land size, we have a right like every other Kenyan, must have access to all the social amenities and everything elselike any other Kenyans. What we are proposing, there must be affirmative action, for these areas: For Mandera East, forMandera District, so that we are developed like the rest of Kenya. And I propose this because, for (affirmative action) for usto come nearer to the rest of Kenyans, what has happened has happened.