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{
    "id": 157977,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/157977/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 89,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This anxiety and fear is not just from our friends. Kenyans out there are frustrated and embarrassed by our conduct as leaders. I want to plead with all of us who are here and those who are not here that it is incumbent upon all of us to give the country hope. We also need to assure the country that we can make things better. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the President outlined, in his Address, a long legislative agenda that this Parliament is supposed to undertake during this Session. I hope that we will live up to the challenge and effect the necessary legislation, more particularly, putting in place the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) that must immediately start reconstructing the voters’ roll. Even in the case of Bomachoge Constituency, where our colleague lost his seat through a petition, the people of that constituency cannot go to elections and vote for his successor simply because the voters’ register was declared invalid by the Independent Review Commission on the 2007 General Election. We adopted that Report and now, there is no electoral voters’ roll in this country. We need to adopt the list of members of the Interim Boundaries Review Commission nominated by a Committee of this House so that they can start addressing issues of electoral representation and equity. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as a House, we need to address the issue of giving this country a new Constitution. This is an agenda that has been on the table for the last 15 years. It is also an agenda that has been debated, argued and fought over, on the Floor of this House and in the streets of our cities. If we, in the current Parliament, do not deliver a new constitution to this country, history will judge us very harshly. This is because good Constitutions are normally drawn as an aftermath of problems, difficulties and conflicts. The events that took place in January, 2008, and the unfortunate loss of human life in this country, formed a proper foundation for this country to move with speed, precision and determination to deliver a new Constitution. However, what is happening? You can see that we are all degenerating back to business as usual. We are all grandstanding and playing to the gallery. We are also speaking with both sides of our mouths and engaging in unhelpful double-speak while the people are waiting for us, as Parliament, to tell them when we will deliver a new Constitution. I know the Committee of Experts on constitution Review is working on this aspect but they will not deliver a new Constitution. It is all of us, as Members of Parliament, who should set the correct tempo in the country and have a Constitution that will address all the issues under Agenda Item Four. These issues are land, youth difficulties, inequitable distribution of resources in the country, the structure of the Executive, the reforms in the Judiciary and the Electoral Commission of Kenya. These issues will be tackled effectively through a new Constitution. They cannot and will not be solved in piecemeal. We know that piecemeal approach to reforms ends up creating confusion. If we really want to give this country a new Constitution, time has come for each one of us to deny ourselves the many things that are negative in our society, including corruption that my colleague has talked about. We should face the reality and deliver a new Constitution to this country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to touch on security. It is important that all of us, as Members of Parliament, join hands in the war against the proliferation of criminal gangs in the country. The events that took place in Kirinyaga two weeks ago,"
}