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{
    "id": 478877,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/478877/?format=api",
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    "content": "the nostalgia of the past without trying to take up the challenge of internalizing the contemporary reality of the new Constitution. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as we tutor others, we should also tutor ourselves that times have changed and the Constitution has changed. We have what people unfortunately call an activist Constitution although it is a liberalist Constitution. Kenya has one of the most liberal constitutions in the world. It has liberal values because it provides for a very broad regime of rights. It provides for democracy, universal suffrage and many things that are manifestations of liberal democracy. So, people tend to want to be conservative in a situation where the country has liberalized technological advancement. Levels of knowledge have moved forward whereas some people still live in the nostalgia of what used to happen during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. We claim that these days Ministers do not matter. It is true that the Constitution wanted the Ministers to just deliver on their jobs so that they are nobody in the stricter sense of bossing other people. They should be servants of the people as articulated in Cap.6 of the Constitution. Therefore, these are the issues that we need to start internalizing. I have seen a temptation to literally restore some of these things that the Constitution had taken away through legislative agenda. I think this Senate must desist from being an extension of an executive that might want to roll back the democratic freedoms. We know that we may not have the same kind of thinking, but security must be based on the concepts of human rights. There should be regional and ethnic balance that is envisaged, more competitive democracy, a minority and a majority and a well capacitated Parliament. We did not realize that the constitutional commissions that are independent and are supposed to intervene on certain matters of governance were definitely going to be a culture shock for many. I think there is nothing wrong to ask when you do not know. I believe that there are people with more knowledge on some issues than I have. You should not come here and argue that the police were right to kill arbitrarily and that we should not question how security is being implemented, but only be patriotic and allow the squander of human rights. I think that is the kind of concept that this Constitution tried vehemently to obliterate. We, as a Senate, must tutor ourselves on the constitutional values and principles represented in our Constitution. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, maybe at some point we need to internalize the notion that if we cannot get budgets to run our offices day in, day out, to enable us run programmes, we should be facilitated as Senators to have forums per constituency when we break for recess. I come from a fairly small county in terms of size and not numbers or economy. I can tell you that if I was to hold one forum in six of the constituencies, people will start to appreciate and know us better. Nowadays the Governors are always advertising in the media. I saw one playing rugby and inviting people for beach rugby. So, there is a communication strategy and it is facilitated. If there is a way that we can be facilitated to have forums to have communication budgets, I think that is the first way in terms of moving forward. Therefore, it must be a unique opportunity for us when we go on recess. I have seen a few Senators who are already lining up at the Co-operative Bank trying to withdraw their mileage allowances, so that they can go to the constituencies and disseminate some information. They know that eventually the people are as harsh as they are in terms of how--- 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."
}