Verbatim Report of Plenary Proceedings: Presentation of Draft Bill-Chapter six, Representation of the People

This report documents discussions on the presentations of chapters 6 of the draft bill on of the people. It is structured into three parts dealing with electoral systems and process(I); the electoral commission(II) and; Political parties(III). The presentation on electoral systems identifies the problems with the existing electoral system and looks at the pros and cons of three different electoral systems in order to inform on suitable alternatives for Kenya; elections; the right to vote; the qualifications for registration and, the disqualification from registration, etc. The second part focuses on the functions of the Electoral Commission, the staff of the Commission and finally, the limitation of Constituencies. The presentation on political parties looks at the right to form a political party, roles and functions; registration corporate status and supervision of of political parties. The report also covers some presentations on chapter 9 dealing with state political systems and Chapter 10 on participatory governance. Within state political systems, focus is on political idealogy with a special emphasis, in this report, on republicanism. The specific provisions of the draft bill are then examined in the light of the content, meaning and principles of republicanism, especially as defined by James Madison. The presentation on participatory governance explores the various ways through which participation can be achieved.