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{
    "id": 1300353,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1300353/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 451,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13219,
        "legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
        "slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
    },
    "content": "enacted their Constitution in 1996 and amended by 1997. Ghana passed their Constitution in 1992 and amended by 1996. Many people cheat Kenyans when they say the American Constitution has never been amended. It has been amended many times. It was passed in 1787 and after five years, they passed a total of 10 amendments including the Bill of Rights in 1791. Therefore, this is a process that we should all embrace. We should not fear if it comes to a referendum. Australia has had more than 19 referendums and they are going to have another one in November. They have made attempts to amend 44 Clauses of the Australian Constitution. In all those, only eight have been successful; the rest have been rejected. So, going to a referendum to amend our Constitution is not war. It is a mechanism that we have put in our Constitution that there are some Clauses that are protected under Article 255. So, the only way to amend them is Article 255. Let us isolate issues that can be amended using parliamentary process. If there are those which require us to go to referendum, we do so. It is not anything unusual. Rwanda has amended their Constitution through a referendum. So, we can do it. All we want to do is to ensure that we live as Kenyans. We want to respect our multi-party democracy, accept that there will always be Executive Side and Minority Side that leads the opposition. I do not want to spend a lot of time; I urge the Senators to support this fairly straightforward Motion so that we can get time to finalize. I urge Senators to be on the lookout when there is an opportunity to appear before this committee to make presentations. I know even Sen. Cherarkey made his presentation and we did not get time to hear him. Exercise the window that we are giving you with this extension. Come there and share your views with us because when we have such a process we do not want to lock anybody. Anybody who has a proposal to come put it on the table; we will listen to everybody then report back to Kenyans. Madam Temporary Speaker, with those many remarks, I beg to move and kindly ask Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale to second. Thank you."
}