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{
    "id": 110213,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/110213/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 547,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Gumo",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Regional Development Authorities",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 160,
        "legal_name": "Fredrick fidelis Omulo Gumo",
        "slug": "fred-gumo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. A constitution is a very important item in any country. There are very few countries which do not have constitutions. In fact, any country that is managed properly must have a constitution. The people out there have always been yearning for a new constitution because they believe that with a new constitution in place, their lives will be better than they were yesterday. Majority of the people today want the Proposed Constitution passed nearly as it is. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am sure that there are certain items we would like to change, but mwananchi is not very keen on that because he knows that those items can be changed later. Even the Constitution that we had in 1963 was subsequently changed several times. I am sure that if we pass this Proposed Constitution today, in another two or three months, we should be able to know where the problems are, and it will take us a shorter time to change whatever sections we will want changed. We have had a very good opportunity, where all Members of Parliament were gathered at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA) in Lower Kabete. We were all there and we would have changed whatever we wanted in that place. Unfortunately, because of personal interests, we never changed even one Section of the Draft Constitution. I am sure even here, even if we stayed for more than a month, we shall not be able to change much. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you look at the proposals that have been made for the last one week; if we were going to change section by section, it might take us almost a year for us to pass this Draft Constitution. We are not ready to sit here for one year because there is time limit for it. Every item that has been brought up by a Member of Parliament is important. Therefore, I urge this Parliament to pass this document as it is now and change it later on. I am sure there are very many sections I would be interested in changing. But because I know to get two-thirds of Members at the moment to change any of these sections that we want will be almost impossible. I have talked to a number of Members of Parliament and the majority of them are not ready to change anything. I am sure none of you who wants to change any section will get two-thirds. Two-thirds of Members is 145 Members. Getting this number is not easy but if you do, the better. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as my colleagues have said, wananchi have always wanted a new Constitution. I am sure many of you have been talking about the past presidents. The Presidents who were there might have been powerful but the power sometimes lie in the personality. You might think you have removed some powers, but the moment some of you occupy that seat, the power will just come. The power will be there because the President is usually “placed” by God. Whatever he says is power. Therefore, it depends. Even the people we have thought would be weaker Presidents in this world have ended up being very powerful. I am sure some of you might have not been there but I remember when President Moi was the Vice-President, majority of people used to think that he was weaker and if he was chosen the President he would not manage. They said that they would toss him"
}