HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 421578,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/421578/?format=api",
"text_counter": 184,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "say and think through it. The people will have an opportunity to also respond and give an idea of what is going to happen. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Constitution is very rich and various key chapters on legislation, governance and devolution – the creation of the national and county assemblies – are very key and important. Therefore, I think that we should not take it for granted that people understand. We need to make sure that we go out there, so that we can continue to enhance the capacity and create the knowledge and interest in public affairs – in fact, in matters constitutional – so that they know what is happening and are able to bring it to life. For example, with regard to the Bill of Rights, very few people are demanding for their rights. This is because they have not yet understood the role and power that they have been given, as citizens, to push for their agenda and make sure that they are actually included and have a say. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, a civic education programme, therefore, needs to really be inclusive. There are certain categories of people like the marginalized – women, youth and members with special abilities – who have been put aside. So, when it comes to the general knowledge sharing, they have been left out and it has been taken for granted that they understand what is going on. We need to think of specific programmes that will target them, but also look at areas in the Constitution that are completely relevant to them and help them to understand those sections and come up and participate. Such a programme needs to be open and very credible, so that it tackles various backgrounds in terms of class, culture and issues within an ethnic or religious background and ensure that those interests are taken into consideration. Such a civic education programme should not be a one-time event. It should be a continuous event and it should be continuous for the next five years. The programme should be broken up into various sections and phases and be ongoing so that people can understand what is happening. Once that happens, we should be able to inculcate a culture of ownership, a culture of direct participation and legitimacy of the Constitution because they will be part and parcel of what is happening. We should make the message easier for them to understand the role of senators is, the role of governors, the role of county governments, the interconnection between the Senate and the county governments, the role of the National Assembly and also the county assemblies. If they go through this, then they will be able to raise questions. It is difficult for members of this country to ask questions when they do not know the right questions and they cannot ask the right questions if they do not understand what the Constitution is talking about. So, this is a process that starts with knowledge and understanding, then that way, we shall have participation enhanced at different levels. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I mentioned about a group of people who might not read directly and therefore, we need to think about audios as an innovative way of giving them civic education or even thinking about ways of role playing, that is, people acting out various phases, chapters and articles of the Constitution which are important for a specific audience so that they can learn what needs to be done and how it should be done. It has to be a continuous process. Countries like Rwanda and South Africa have been successful in having a continuous programme as shown in the level of understanding that comes from people in those countries. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}