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{
    "id": 1267979,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1267979/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 194,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Veronica Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. As we continue in the House, I hear the Kiswahili Language is gaining such popularity. The Swahili speaking Senators are close to intimidating those who cannot speak it fluently. We may need to take some Kiswahili classes. Having said that, I take this opportunity, first, to congratulate my friend, Sen. Mumma, for bringing this important Motion to the Floor of this House. Discussing and looking at the way forward for a progressive review of the 17 Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG) for the nation of Kenya. Mr. Deputy Speaker, if you read keenly, SDG one to 17, they all move into the area of sustainable development; development that is holistic, transformative and looks into ending poverty; up to the final SDG goal that goes into partnerships and how the partnerships for the goals could be achieved. If I were to start with the SDG No.17, we now cannot doubt how important those partnerships would be for the achievement of the SDGs. In spite of the fact that the world transitioned from Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) to the SDGs, the attainment of these SDGs has not been very easy for any nation and neither has it been easy for our country. This is because it is easier said than done. The SDGs were a global call for action towards improvement and transformation of the citizens of the world. If I contextualize and look at Kenya, we could say the improvement of the lives of Kenyans is a dream. It is a big global goal. I do not know whether it is an illusion because we are remaining seven years before getting to the year 2030. Maybe then, the United Nations (UN) shall come back into a conversation around the table to discuss other goals or review those current goals. Are we close to attaining those goals as a nation? Maybe we all have the answer that, yes, we may have started the journey but we are not very near to the end of that goal. Why could this be? If you go to the streets today and ask Kenyans about the SDGs, they may not contextualize it as anything they know of. However, we may understand it at our level having been in the Senate or Parliament, or at different levels of education. The ordinary mwananchi may not understand what SDGs are all about. They understand it in a different context when it comes to the needs of the people. If you talk to them about the food, they may understand it. If you talk to them about water, then they will understand it. Have our nations taken the initiative to help the people understand about the global goals? Once, again, maybe that approach was not taken at the initial stage of implementation. However, all is not lost because we have institutions; county governments and the national Government, which are bound by international covenants that are supposed to push the implementation of such goals to a level where they can be realized by the citizen. The closest you come to those goals being legislated upon within our laws is maybe being the Constitution. In Article 42 of the Constitution, you will find something on every person having a right to a clean and healthy environment, which includes the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of the present and future generation through legislative and other measures. Article 43 of the Constitution is on Economic and Social Rights. Let us look at SDG No.1 on eradication of poverty. How far have we, as a nation, walked towards its The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services,Senate."
}