Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 208822,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/208822/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Muite",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 235,
        "legal_name": "Paul Kibugi Muite",
        "slug": "paul-muite"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me this opportunity. On the Monday before we opened the current Parliament, His Excellency the President unlocked dialogue on constitutional reforms in this country. He requested the Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs to actually chair that dialogue. I want to be fair to hon. Members on that side of the House. We met at County Hall and eventually agreed, after discussions and dialogue, that this side of the House should be represented by 14 hon. Members and that side by 13 hon. Members. The dialogue and discussions went on very smoothly. We made a lot of progress at County Hall. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you look at the history of this country, every time we have amended the Constitution, it has been preceded by consensus-building, following some dialogue. That is because you need two-thirds support. We negotiated. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to pay tribute to the former President. When you look at the score card of the former President on constitutional reforms, in 1992 - never mind that it was under pressure - he repealed Section 2A, a very significant constitutional development. He introduced the two-term limit for the President. That is another momentous development in constitution-making. He introduced 25 per cent in five provinces because the President must enjoy the support of a majority of the Kenyan people. In 1997, he abolished detention without trial. He repealed sedition laws. He made it possible for even public meetings and processions to be held after notification to the police. Never mind that, sometimes, the police do not understand that law!"
}