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{
    "id": 751081,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/751081/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 1007,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "been in politics for some time now, I ask myself daily whether the system of government that we put in place in 2010 is actually the system of government that Kenya should have. I am not sure if the presidential system of government is the right system for Kenya. In fact, I am convinced that we must consider the best system of government for us in the year we will have a referendum. We must ask ourselves whether the South African, German, United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries models of parliamentary system and the models of countries that are politically stable have systems that we should not consider for our country. We must address issues head on. We know that the electorate accuse political candidates of corruption. Any politician will tell you that corruption starts from the voters. They demand money for them to attend even a public rally. A nation that does not address its own weaknesses is not a nation. We must face this issue head on. Have we morally decayed that now votes are for sale? We can no longer elect anybody without being paid money. This means that a leadership that is without money cannot be elected. Is this the individualised system that works for Kenya? We must ask ourselves whether we are morally decadent in our electoral process. When people are elected, they are traumatized and do not wish to go back to the constituencies. They stay in Nairobi. They become thieves. They must steal to recover the money they used during the campaigns. Is this the system that works for Kenya? Should we be thinking of a different electoral system? When I was seeking votes in Nyeri County and in Mukurweini Constituency, I repeatedly said that if an individual accepts that they will sell their votes, they must also accept that they have no business following the elected leader to ask them what they are doing in Parliament. If you buy sugar from a shop, the shopkeeper cannot follow you to ask what you are doing with the sugar, it is yours. So, if you buy votes, the deal is done. There is no follow up necessary to find out who is elected. We have to reexamine our system, ourselves as a society and ask ourselves whether going forward, this is the kind of process that we will continue using to create leadership. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, finally, in doing this referendum, one of the advantages is that President Uhuru Kenyatta will continue to be President and there is nothing better than working to change a Constitution than with a President who will not run again. That is the process which Sen. Wako had mentioned earlier. When you politicize the system, then a referendum is useless because it is simply an exercise to ensure continuity for the person in power; but if we carry out a referendum within the term of a President who will be going for his last term, then you can be sure that it can be done effectively and ably. That is why I hope that the Kenyan people will see what the Jubilee administration has done, never mind our differences, and reelect President Uhuru Kenyatta as President in August. Having said that, let us also never forget that elections will come and go; Kenya will still be Kenya on 8th August. On 9th August, people will still be thinking about their school fees, food and so on. Therefore, my prayer is that the elections this year will be completely peaceful and, there will be no violence. God will look at our nation with a tender heart so that nobody gets hurt because of an election. No life is worth losing because of a political process."
}