verbatim report of constituency public hearings ... - ConstitutionNet

46Com. Bishop Njoroge: Thank you very much. Hiyo ni maoni ya muhimu. Na tumeshukuru. Gatheri Miano?Gatheri Miano: Okay thank you for this opportunity. Well, my first point is that we should have free and compulsory Primaryeducation as well as affordable Secondary and Higher education. The next proposition is that we should have free medicalservices. I must say that no one wish to be sick and thus the government should afford free medical services for those whocannot afford private medical services. The bills to cater for free education and free medical services should come from taxcollection. My next contribution is on Civic education. I must say that we should have civic education as a compulsory andexaminable subject in all learning Institutions. It is a big fallacy that we are reviewing the Constitution of Kenya but right now notmany of us know the old Constitution.The next issue touches on professionalism at all levels. I must point out that this should be dignified and respected. Doctors,Lawyers, Engineers, Teachers, Policemen and so on should be remunerated reasonably. In turn they should be expected toserve the country with patriotism. They must not be allowed to indulge in any private practice while in public service as thistantamount to double standard or double dealing. If they show carelessness, professional misconduct such as corruption,negligence and so on, Proper punishment, which should include sacking, imprisonment and even hanging should be preferred.The next point is we should have protection of local enterprises. I must point out that the Constitution of Kenya shouldendeavor to put in place effective machinery to protect the means through which Kenyans earn their livelihood. In this regard,the agricultural sector must be protected from cheap imports that are flooding the market currently. Research on cheapproduction methods should be funded by the government as well as provision of quality seedlings, fertilizers and other farminputs at an affordable price. Kenya should not be the dumping site for foreign goods in the pretext that they are cheap. In thiscase second hand items should be checked and highly discouraged.My next point touches on the Presidency. This should be an office that is accountable to the Kenyans and not to the individualoccupying it. In this regard, the new Constitution should provide avenues through which the Citizens of this land can sanction theactions of the Head of State if they feel he or she is not doing the right thing. This could be through referendum called andconducted by an independent body on contentious issues.Secondly, the Parliament should be given powers to impeach a President who is found to be serving interests detriment to thewelfare of Kenyans. My next point touches on Conservation. The current generation owes prosperity a big deal in terms ofconserving the fauna and flora granted by mother nature. In this regard, senseless destruction of forests, catchment areas, worldgame and other gifts of nature must be prohibited. Perpetrators of such acts must be punished accordingly and where possiblemade to pay heavily. Rehabilitation through afforestation and restocking must be prioritized to check the harm already done. Inaddition to this, deposition of industrial effluence with products, emission and use of chemicals that have potential harm to theenvironment should be checked and well controlled to avoid their negative effects to the environment. Here, greenhouse, gas