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{
    "id": 56759,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/56759/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 350,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Eng. Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 24,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
        "slug": "nicholas-gumbo"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make some very brief remarks. I want to follow from what my colleagues have said. I have said it here before that as a country, we are very much in danger of having a very good Constitution with very little constitutionalism. Since we promulgated the Constitution on 27th August, 2010, nothing has changed. Police killings are still going on. The lethargy in Government offices is still there and even in matters relating to how public services and goods are procured, nothing has changed at all. This is worrying. I want to believe that we can write very good laws, but if we do not believe in those laws, and to me, that is what is happening in Kenya, we will not get anywhere. I have said it here that there are countries whose constitutions are no more than seven A-4 pages, but have guided them well for centuries. We must guard against the contradiction of having a very good Constitution which we do not respect because that is the impression that is going on. I want to join my friend, hon. Karua, in condemning extra-judicial killings. I think also, as a country, we are also very sensitive to the plight of the police. About two weeks ago, I came to this House and gave statistics on how many policemen have been killed in the last five years. Police men and women are Kenyans like us. They have families, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and children. About five years ago, a policeman was innocently told to go and stand outside a house in Imara Daima Estate. The thug came out, shot him and killed him in cold blood. I did not hear any of the so-called human rights groups condemning that. As we condemn extra-judicial killings, we must equally be concerned about the welfare of our police men and women. When I did a basic course in management, I was told that you cannot ask a worker to do a task without providing him with the tools of the trade. Some of these policemen share a 10” by 10” room and four of them are sleeping there. There is no decency. Some policemen do not even have basic insurance yet they confront these dangerous thugs every day. So, as we debate the police Bills that will come to this House, let us also think about our brothers and sisters who daily walk the cold nights to make sure we get security. I thank the Chairman for talking about devolution. Devolution as provided for in this Constitution, maybe the single most item that may make or break the implementation of the Constitution. I am encouraging the Commission for Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) to rush the Bills for devolution."
}