2) Read this article: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1tS-1crJyJAWz6G6QFxwzLt2hjfq0z2Tn5O8lX9XfPYk&hl=en
3) Read this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100827/ap_on_re_af/af_kenya_constitution
Then, write your blog comment by responding to at least two of the following questions:
- What questions do you have about Kenya's new constitution? Explain.
- What questions do you think an average person in Kenya might have about the future with the new constitution? Explain.
- Do you see any similarities and/or differences between the governments and social contracts of Kenya and the United States?
Remember, to have a great blog you will need to write at least eight sentences and comment on one of your peers' writing.
71 comments:
1) Why was there a worry of violence at the election for the constitution? I asked this question because I didn’t understand why there would be a dispute after the people vote on Kenya’s new constitution. I understood why they were preventing what happened at the presidential election.
2) I think a common question in Kenya is weather the gov. could consistently fallow the laws of the new constitution. Also, they would wonder if the people would fallow the laws.
3) The U.S. Constitution and the Kenya Constitution is similar because they have elections, the people will have rights and both countries needed a constitution to have a better form of gov. The difference is that Kenya waited for a while to make the constitution compared to the U.S.
After reading the article and watching the video, I have one major question: Why did Kenya want a new constitution? I am asking this because a country has to have a good reason to make a new constitution. What I mean is that you can’t just decide to have a new constitution. To make a new document like this takes a long time, you can’t just sit down and expect to finish in an hour. In the article it says that making this type of document could take at least five years to write. Mikey T’s question: Why was there worry of violence at the election for the constitution? I think that there was worry because maybe some people didn’t want the new constitution, so they were angry about it. And maybe the people who wanted the new constitution were fighting back at the people who didn’t want the new constitution. That is my question about Kenya and their new constitution.
I do not understand how this will work out, they have been set in these ways for so long, it seems like a big change all at once. Also I too, like Margot, wonder why the found it necessary. As Margot said, a country should have a good reason for making a constitution, since it is a very important document and takes lots of time to come up with. I, like Mikey, believe that people will wonder if the Government and the other citizens will actually be able to follow these new laws. I also think that maybe they will wonder how things will work with the addition of a Senate and a Supreme Court. The United States constitution and the new Kenyan constitution are similar because they both help to improve the government. Also both constitutions showed the need for the creation of a Supreme Court and a Senate. There are most likely more similarities, but with the provided information, that’s all I can find.
Also, to add on to what Margo said to answer Mikey’s question, there has also been problems with other decisions the people have made, so there was chance for a repeat. Also, this could be like what happened with Kosovo’s independence, there were fights that broke out because some people disagreed with the decision.
One question that I had about Kenya’s new constitution was “Was there something wrong with their old constitution?” Like Margot W. said, a country has to have a good reason to make a new constitution. The video stated that many Kenyans were afraid that violence would break out with the election. This was a big risk to take, and it may not have been smart to risk Kenyans’ safety for the constitution.
If I were a Kenyan, a question that I would have about the future with this constitution would be, “Am I safe with this new constitution?” The article and video say that Kenya has had a history of violence following votes and elections. The article states, “…a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya's disputed December 2007 presidential vote.” I would be questioning whether or not this constitution’s adoption would be followed with a violent dispute.
Kenya’s constitution is like our constitution because they both helped reform the government, and like Dallas M. said, “Also both constitutions showed the need for the creation of a Supreme Court and a Senate.” These are my questions about the Kenyan constitution, and my comparison between it and America’s constitution.
I'm wondering if they new constitution will hold up in the future. The first time the U.S.A. tried making something like that, our government nearly collapsed three years after. That's when the new constitution was made for the U.S.A. Also I'm wondering why people were worried about violence at the vote on Kenya's new constitution. I'm not really sure why it has been so violent down there in the first place... It seemed kind of fuzzy to me.
Someone who lives in Kenya might wonder how well the constitution will hold up. Or can everybody agree on what's written in it. If I lived in Kenya I know I would wonder if everyone could fallow the new laws and if they were fair to all of the people of Kenya. I would wonder this because if the laws weren't fair to me (as a citizen of Kenya) I would deffenently act out against them! Also if people weren't fallowing the new laws I would begin to wonder how well this constitution was made.
in the kenyan constitution they have a "Checks and Balences" system like United States constitution; giving each part of the government a fair amount of power. Also there are elections for government officials. And like the United States constitution the government depends on their constitution to run the government farily and smoothly.
I'm wondering if they new constitution will hold up in the future. The first time the U.S.A. tried making something like that, our government nearly collapsed three years after. That's when the new constitution was made for the U.S.A. Also I'm wondering why people were worried about violence at the vote on Kenya's new constitution. I'm not really sure why it has been so violent down there in the first place... It seemed kind of fuzzy to me.
Someone who lives in Kenya might wonder how well the constitution will hold up. Or can everybody agree on what's written in it. If I lived in Kenya I know I would wonder if everyone could fallow the new laws and if they were fair to all of the people of Kenya. I would wonder this because if the laws weren't fair to me (as a citizen of Kenya) I would deffenently act out against them! Also if people weren't fallowing the new laws I would begin to wonder how well this constitution was made.
In the Kenyan constitution they have a "Checks and Balances" system like United States constitution; giving each parts of the government a fair amount of power. Also there are elections for government officials. And like the United States constitution the government depends on their constitution to run the government fairly and smoothly.
The questions I have about Kenya’s new constitution are, why did Kenya’s 2007 presidential election end in violence? Why do people live in fear of violence after voting? Does violence happen after every election or voting? I have these questions because in the article it said that Kenya’s president signed and issued a new constitution as part of a reform package. I think this package is all about stopping violence and making Kenya a better and safer place to live. I think an average person in Kenya would ask, will this new constitution end violence in the future? They might ask this because in the video that I watched there was a man that said it morning and no violence has happened yet I’m hoping it will stay that way. Also in the article it said that they are issuing 49 new laws. I think these new laws will limit violence in Kenya.
The constitution of Kenya is similar to the constitution of the US because in the article it states that it uses the same checks and balances as the US Constitution. They also issued a Supreme Court and Senate just like the US.
1.What questions do you have about Kenya's new constitution?
Questions i asked myself throughout this were 1. Why did Keya wait for 2 years to get wait they needed most, a new consitution? I asked myself this because well i know that if i were in the situation of 1,000 or more keyans dieing around me i would stan dup for myself an dtry to make a point. I understand that they were timid to the idea or supporting their point of view but people have rights when born. Maybe thats different in their old consitution but everyone should be able to have confidence. Thats why it was a little bit confusing on why they waited for a consitution when if they made one earlier they could of not lived a torturing 2 years of life.
2. 2.What questions do you think an average person in Kenya might have about the future with the new constitution?
The questions i think that the average person in Keyna would have are like what Mikey T said" is weather the gov. could consistently follow the laws of the new constitution?" Also a question i think that Keyans would ask themselves is will Britain ever want to obtain their country again? And suceed? I think both these questions because i feel anyone would think so including right after them getting everything they want. It would be almost too perfect. So i would assume someone would atleast think or ask themselves those questions.
3.What similarities and/or differences do you see between the new Kenyan constitution and the United States and our constitution?
I agree with Kelsey about how the U.S. consitution is similar to Keya's Consitution because both consitutions have checks and balances and a Senate and a Supreme Court. Another reason why there similar is because in both consitutions they asked for either just freedom and liberity or in Keyna's case more of freedom, liberty, and justice. Also I find that the difference about the consitutions are 1- like MIkey said America didnt wait to make the Consitution while Kenya did. 2- Is that this was the first consitution ever for the U.S. while this was the 2nd for Kenya.
After reading the article and watching the movie, I have some questions about Kenya’s new constitution. One question I have is, what prompted Kenyans to get a new constitution? I ask this question because in the text and the movie it never clearly states why Kenya wanted to get a new constitution. The only fact that somewhat addresses my question is when it says in the text, “ Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package the President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya’s disputed December 2008 presidential vote.” Another question I have about Kenya’s new constitution is, did they add or take anything out of their American-style constitution? I ask this question because in the text it says that the new constitution institutes a U.S.-style system of checks and balances and is formatting a Supreme Court, and a Senate, but never says that they are adding or taking anything out. When they say American-style, I think that they mean they are using the framework and main parts of our constitution, but not all of the smaller ideas (it never says that they are copying our constitution). One last question I have is what does Sudan’s president have to do with Kenya’s festivities? I ask this question because in the article it points out “joining African leaders at the festivities was Sudan’s president who faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in connection with violence in Darfur, where U.N. officials estimate 300,000 people have died.” I was really confused on what he had to do with anything. Those are three questions I have about Kenya’s new constitution.
I think that a common question of an average person in Kenya about the future of their constitution might be how it will affect their daily lives. I agree with Mikey T. when he says that this new constitution will have new laws they will have to follow. In the text it says that, “…the formation of a Supreme Court and a Senate. It also demands that the country’s judiciary be vetted to rid it of corrupt or incompetent judges and that parliament pass 49 new laws.” That is what I think might be a common question in Kenya.
I see many similarities and differences between Kenya’s new constitution and the United States constitution. A similarity between the two is that they both have an American-style constitution that has the system of checks and balances, a Supreme Court, a Senate and more. Another similarity is that both constitutions were a major step in creating a better form of government (like Mikey T. said) and country. A difference between Kenya’s constitution and ours is that the United States didn’t vote on getting a constitution or what the content of it was (kind of like a republic), the founding fathers wrote it. Yet, in Kenya elections were held – 67% yes and 33% no according to the movie. Another difference is that Kenya didn’t have to create their constitution from scratch, like the U.S. did. Those are the similarities and differences between Kenya’s new constitution and the United States constitution.
After reading the article and watching the movie, I have some questions about Kenya’s new constitution. One question I have is, what prompted Kenyans to get a new constitution? I ask this question because in the text and the movie it never clearly states why Kenya wanted to get a new constitution. The only fact that somewhat addresses my question is when it says in the text, “ Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package the President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya’s disputed December 2008 presidential vote.” Another question I have about Kenya’s new constitution is, did they add or take anything out of their American-style constitution? I ask this question because in the text it says that the new constitution institutes a U.S.-style system of checks and balances and is formatting a Supreme Court, and a Senate, but never says that they are adding or taking anything out. When they say American-style, I think that they mean they are using the framework and main parts of our constitution, but not all of the smaller ideas (it never says that they are copying our constitution). One last question I have is what does Sudan’s president have to do with Kenya’s festivities? I ask this question because in the article it points out “joining African leaders at the festivities was Sudan’s president who faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in connection with violence in Darfur, where U.N. officials estimate 300,000 people have died.” I was really confused on what he had to do with anything. Those are three questions I have about Kenya’s new constitution.
I think that a common question of an average person in Kenya about the future of their constitution might be how it will affect their daily lives. I agree with Mikey T. when he says that this new constitution will have new laws they will have to follow. In the text it says that, “…the formation of a Supreme Court and a Senate. It also demands that the country’s judiciary be vetted to rid it of corrupt or incompetent judges and that parliament pass 49 new laws.” That is what I think might be a common question in Kenya.
I see many similarities and differences between Kenya’s new constitution and the United States constitution. A similarity between the two is that they both have an American-style constitution that has the system of checks and balances, a Supreme Court, a Senate and more. Another similarity is that both constitutions were a major step in creating a better form of government (like Mikey T. said) and country. A difference between Kenya’s constitution and ours is that the United States didn’t vote on getting a constitution or what the content of it was (kind of like a republic), the founding fathers wrote it. Yet, in Kenya elections were held – 67% yes and 33% no according to the movie. Another difference is that Kenya didn’t have to create their constitution from scratch, like the U.S. did. Those are the similarities and differences between Kenya’s new constitution and the United States constitution.
1. I have a few questions about the new constitution for Kenya. My first is, has the constitution been made yet. I’m confused by that because one of the articles I read said the constitution had already been signed into law. Then later it mentioned that it would take five years to make it, so that left me unsure. Another question I have is, why did the 2007 elections lead to violence? I could understand it if some people were just upset, but I don’t know why you should kill someone just because they didn’t vote for the same person that you did.
2. I agree with Kelsey J, an average person in Kenya probably has wondered if the voting on the new constitution will lead to violence? I think that would be one of the major questions for Kenyans because facts from the articles did state that there was violence after the voting for the president in December of 2007. In fact, over 1,000 people were killed after the election’s results. I also think that a lot of Kenyans asking if it will cause violence because the video I watched showed a man saying that he isn’t sure if there will be murders, but he continued by saying that nothing has happened yet and he hopes things stay that way.
3. The Kenyan constitution is similar to the United States constitution because both of them are using checks and balances to stabilize the government. Another similarity they have is that both allow their inhabitants to be free and independent. I also agree Mikey T that Kenya did wait longer than the U.S. to make their new constitution.
while reading and watching about Kenya's constitution my one major question is? why is Kenya so violent in election.To me violence isn't the answer,hearing this I wanted to read the past about Kenya's previous elections if there was any violence. Another of my questions is why did Kenya need a knew constitution? was there any need for it? I think there was no need for it they were free and not ran by Britain anymore they should just be happy. My last question, is the constitution even done yet? One of the articles said that the constitution had already been signed but later on it said it will take 5 years is it done or not.
while reading and watching about Kenya's constitution my one major question is? why is Kenya so violent in election.To me violence isn't the answer,hearing this I wanted to read the past about Kenya's previous elections if there was any violence. Another of my questions is why did Kenya need a knew constitution? was there any need for it? I think there was no need for it they were free and not ran by Britain anymore they should just be happy. My last question, is the constitution even done yet? One of the articles said that the constitution had already been signed but later on it said it will take 5 years is this controversy done or not.
After reading the article and watching the video, I have a couple questions about Kenya’s new constitution. First of all, why did Kenya even want a new constitution? One thing is that I agree with Rachel because there wasn’t an exact or a clear reason why Kenya wanted one in the first place. I also agree with Margot because a country, like Kenya, does need a good reason to want to change something important like their constitution. They shouldn’t change it just because they wanted to. They should really get opinions from the citizens or even a higher power like the president. Even though people voted, did they even know why they really wanted to vote for a new constitution? Besides, what if some percentage of the Kenyans liked the old constitution? Maybe some of Kenya wasn’t even happy or celebrated the new constitution. Another question I have is why did voting in 2007, had led into violence? Why was Kenya afraid of violence from this year’s election? Also why would violence break out in the first place? I think this may be because a lot of Kenyans probably had different opinions for different matters and reasons, and they most likely didn’t want to agree on the same thing, so violence must have broke out.
I think a question an average Kenyan would have about the constitution is: “ Will this constitution effect the way we live?” I think that will probably be a general question in Kenya because, how did the old constitution effect their lives? Are the new laws going to limit or take away certain freedoms? Also, as Mikey said, will the Kenyans or government even follow the laws?
After reading and watching I have a question, why does Kenya want a new constitution? I am questioning this because this is a major thing. If a country just changing a constitution its changing their live style, government, and disciplines. Another reason why what if the citizens don’t like the new rules? So if they don’t like it then all the people are going to get angry and there’s another major problem. Also they have to think of what an average Kenyan might think. They might ask what will happen, will the government get kicked out and new people come in? Or they might wonder how will people react to the changes and what if the people who wanted it to stay the same, got really angry and turn into a mob? That is what I think of this video and article.
After reading and watching I have a question, why does Kenya want a new constitution? I am questioning this because this is a major thing. If a country just changing a constitution its changing their live style, government, and disciplines. Another reason why what if the citizens don’t like the new rules? So if they don’t like it then all the people are going to get angry and there’s another major problem. Also they have to think of what an average Kenyan might think. They might ask what will happen, will the government get kicked out and new people come in? Or they might wonder how will people react to the changes and what if the people who wanted it to stay the same, got really angry and turn into a mob? That is what I think of this video and article.
1. I do, in fact, have a few questions about Kenya's new constitution. My first is: what are some of Kenya's new laws going to be? My other questions are: why have previous votings lead to violence? and, will the new constitution be effective and fix some of Kenya's previous problems including tribalisim and land grabbing? The article and video were not very helpful in explaining these points to me.
2. I think an average person from Kenya would probably wonder what will these 49 new laws change in my life? I think this because after reading a little bit of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, I learned that social contracts are hard to read so the new constitution may be confusing to an average Kenyan. I dont believe many adults or kids would understand the laws of their country anywhere because they are wordy and confusing. It may have people left wondering why they have been fighting so long for laws that they don't even know how are affecting them.
3.I agree with Emma that the reason the Kenyan constitution is similar to the American constitution is because, both governments use checks and balnces to monitor the other branches of government. Although I honestly did not see that many similarities besides that, and the fact that the constitution allowed their citzens to be free and independent.
After watching the video and reading the articles, I think that Kenyan residents will have a few questions about their new constitution. I agree with Lauren that their main question should be “How, and will this constitution affect our lives?” I thick the constitution will help their lives, and the article said it would give them more freedoms. Also, the video said that the constitution would end all the shady dealings that had been going on. To the government following those rules, I think that a citizen will like the new constitution, and they would put pressure on the government. Also, it would be kind of embarrassing for the U.S. if it’s new poster child gave up on its new constitution, just after it started.
Also, I have seen many similarities and differences between the U.S., and Kenyan constitution. For one the second article said, a system of checks and balances, similar to the ones in the constitution had been put in place, to help bring down the ridiculous presidential power. That same article also said the new constitution called for the establishment of a supreme court and the senate, just like the U.S. It also called for all corrupt or incompetent judges, which wasn’t in the U.S. constitution. These are just some of the similarities or differences between the two.
After reading the article and watching the video, I am wondering why the Kenyans needed a new constitution. Was their old one not functioning properly? Like Rachel C. said, I am also wondering what small differences we will find in their new constitution. Also, why does it have to take five years to implement their new constitution? I understand that reformatting a country is a gargantuan undertaking, but why five years? It will probably take a while to weed out the "corrupt or ineffective" judges, but, again, five years? Thirdly, why does parliament have to pass forty-nine new laws?
Anyway, I think that the average Kenyan will probably be wondering how effective this new system of governing will work for them. I would be, too.
After watching the video and reading the article about Kenya's new constitution, I have some questions about it. My first question was; Why did Kenya want a new constitution? I agree with Margot when she stated "a country has to have a good reason to make a new constitution. What I mean is that you can’t just decide to have a new constitution. To make a new document like this takes a long time." I agree with this because if you were going to write a new constitution, I think it should at least have a good, solid reason. Also, it would take a long time to write it, you would have to go through the whole process, with people having to approve it, and make sure it's fair. An average person in Kenya might want to know if the constitution what problems the constitution would solve? I think this is a good question, honestly, because the people of Kenya don't know what the constitution will do about all of Kenya's problems. The people of Kenya would certainly want to know if the constitution will be effective or not.
After reading the article and watching the video I have one question. Why does Kenya want even want a new consitution? I think this because last time they voted it turned into violence. But the good news is there has been no fighting reported. Also what is the new constitution going to state? I ask this because will it bring Kenya's people together or cause more violence? An average person in Kenya might say "How is this new constitution going to help us?" This is what i think that the article and video are about.
The questions I have about Kenya’s new constitution are, why did Kenya’s 2007 presidential election lead to violence? Why are people so afraid of violence after voting? Does this happen after every election or voting? I asked these questions because in the article it said that Kenya’s president signed and issued a new constitution as part of a reform package. Another question I have is what forced Kenya to write a new constitution? I asked this question because in both the article and the video, it doesn’t really say what had forced them. The only time where they addressed it was when, in the article is stated that their president Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That’s when the fighting broke out.The constitution of Kenya is similar to the constitution of the U.S.A because in the article it states that it uses the same checks and balances as the U.S.A Constitution. They also issued a Supreme Court and Senate just like the U.SA.
After reading the article and watching the video, i think that the people voted and they didn't know what they wanted to vote for. Also, I have a few quentions because i didn't understand some of the article. My questions are, why did the president election in 2007 end in violence? Another is, what will some of the new laws be? Also, why are they so scared that this one would have ended in violence? I agree with Noah that the constitution wil;l help their lives. I hope that this big change wont effect Kenya in a bad way.
Why was there a worry at the election of the new constitution? Kenya should be able to do what ever they want knowing they are independent. Kenya should vote yes to a new constitution. Kenya probably is trying to update their country. After watching the kenya constitution video i think kenyans will have a few questions. the questions might be will we be able to participate in rewriting the constitution? will we have any say in the constitution? Or how will the constitution change or affect our lives? I think the Constitution will help them and in my opinion Kenya should go for the new constitution!
I have read the article and watched the movie. I have a few questions. Why did Kenya decide to create its new constitution? The new constitution of Kenya the package to reform it. The President Mwai Kibaki and the Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after sighning a power-sharing deal in February 2008. The deal ended violence which killed over 1,00 people. Another question I have is will the constitution last? Another question is. Why did the 2007 election lead to violence? Also does this happen most of Kenya's elections? Kenya's constitution was similar to the U.S.A. Constitution. This is what questions I have and the things I have learned.
Some questions that a citizen of Kenya might have about the constitution are; Why did you base the constitution off the United States of America? I think that someone might ask this because our seperation from the UK was very violent and it took about a decade to come up with our Constitution. This explains that it might still be a hard process to go through like ours and maybe like our first attempt with the Articles of Confederation, it might failand take a while to come up with a better solution. Another question is; Why did Kenya allow the president of Sudan come and join the festivities of Kenya's constitution? Someone might ask that because peopel from all over Africa are probaly very angry with Sudan with the murder of atleast 300,000 peopel and all of that is on the shoulders of Sudan's president. I see a similarity between our two social contracts with them having the checks and balances system. They have a checks and balances system like our branches checking and balancing out the power of each other. A difference I see is that it may take 5 years to complete proces of making this document official when our Constitution took one year to be adopted than ratified. Anyway, I think it is great that Kenya has designed a new Constitution and hope that it is good for their country's government and people.
After watching the video I was confused as to why Kenya wanted a new constitution. I understand that they wanted to try and figure out how to stop tribes from fighting, but whenever they try to vote, everyone ends up fighting. I know that they wanted a new constitution, but won't it lead to more fighting? If it is a good constitution than I don't see why they would have to fight about it. I get that people have different beliefs but i dont see if its worth fighting over. I think an average person in Kenya, like me, may want to know why they need a new constitution. They also may wonder if this will lead to more fighting. Kenya, in a way is similar to us because they can vote on important decisons, like we do. They are also making their constitution more like ours, with checks and balances. Like Keyshawn I don't think violence is ever the answer, and if they have any problems they should try to work it out peacefully.
One similarity between Kenya’s new constitution and our constitution is that Kenya’s new constitution makes the power in the government be more equal. This means it doesn’t let the president, or anyone else in the government, have too much power over everyone else. This is like our constitution because in our constitution it is the duty of everyone to keep each other’s power in balance and not let any one branch or person have too much power. One question a person in Kenya might have about the new constitution is how will balancing the power more make a difference to the lives of an average person in Kenya. I think a person might ask this because they may have not known what could be different if there government id different. A question I have about Kenya’s new constitution is why they were making a new one. Nowhere in the video or article could I find was what the problems the old constitution was causing for Kenya and what they thought the new changes would help with.
After reading the article and watching the video, I have a couple questions. The first is, why did Kenya’s 2007 election lead to violence? Do many Kenyans maybe disagree with the majority of election votes? It says in the text that Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package. I think the government’s goal is to end violence and conflict, and try to make Kenya a peaceful and organized nation. As Kelsey said, perhaps all the elections end in violence, and maybe because the Kenyans are afraid of how the elections will affect their country. I think this because in the text it had mentioned that Kenya has a past of conflict and violence. I don’t think the people of Kenya want to risk getting that to be worse than before. Another question I have about Kenya’s new constitution is, why did they make a new one? They knew that it was going to take years to make and they can’t be sure that it’s going to improve Kenya’s problems. Was this their last resort- A change of the constitution? I would like to know exactly what was running through their minds.
A question I think that an average Kenyan would ask is, is this new constitution going to help improve our country? I think the reason there is so much violence is because the country needs to come together as a whole and realize they are one nation. They have fear of each other which leads to more and more violence. It says in the text that they are using an American-style constitution with checks and balances. I think an average Kenyan would be wondering, if spreading the government into branches that can control each other, will this help? Since not one person is controlling everything maybe more people will agree with the government’s decisions. In return I think this will lead to peace and unity in Kenya.
Some questions I have are is kenya’s constitution exactly like ours is today or is it just similar? Another question I have is will the new government be able to keep Kenya peaceful or will it just go back to its old corrupt and violent self. I think most average people might be a bit worried that the new government will not change anything. I think this because if Kenya has always been corrupt and violent, I personally would not be so sure that they would change. On the other hand I am sure a lot of Kenyans are excited and really hopeful for the new government. For example it says in the passage that the man at the street vendor had his body painted with the colors of Kenya. Then he said “Kenya mypa” which means “new Kenya.” That is what I think most average Kenyans are thinking.
After examining the article, video, and the class blog posts I would like to answer question 1&2.
Question 1
I would like to ask this question:
Why was there a need for a “small war” over a power sharing deal?
I say this because Kenya is a very small part of Africa so why fight over it? I guess I kind of agree with Keyshawn.
Question 2
I think that someone who lives in Kenya would want to know….
1. Are we going to have the same problems as Kosovo?
2. When would the Constitution take action?
3. Why did we take the USA’s Constitution? Why didn’t we make your own?
4. What if I disagree with the USA’s Constitution?
5. Should we expect any wars or conflicts in the future between Kenya and other countries?
I would ask these questions because I know if I were in the same situation as Kenya, I know I would want to know what was going to happen in the future and is it really safe to live in Kenya. I think it would be dangerous to live in Kenya when maybe some countries are mad at me, and may want to start a war.
1) After reading and watching the video I didn’t understand why there was violence at the election of constitution and how every time they vote they would end up fighting. Why do they think that there is going to be fighting after voting? Also I agree with Margot W a country has to have a good reason why they want to make a new constitution you can’t just sit down and finish in an hour. Also I agree with RayC on why did the president election in 2007, end with violence.
2) I think that the average question the a person in Kenya would ask would be about the new rule and how they were to act with them. And I also agree with mikey T weather the government could consistently fallow the laws of the new constitution.
After reading the article and watching the video, the first question that came to my mind is why did Kenya need a new constitution? Will there be a lot of changes in their new constitution? like Margot W said what was their reasoning to making the new constitution? In the article or video it didnt say why Kenya wrote a new constitution. some questions that people who live in Kenya might have are like Mikey T said "I think a common question in Kenya is wether the goverment could consistently follow the laws of the new constitution." some simalarties i see are like Griffin Y said "They have a checks and balances system like our branches checking and balancing out the power of eachother." one difference is that their new constitution took 5 years to write, while are constitution took 1 year to write. Another similarity is they just issued a supreme court and senate just like the Usa. Another similarity like Emma V said is they both allow their inhabitants to be free and independent."
After reading the article, I had a question. Why does Kenya want a new constitution??? I ask this because Kenya just recently got a constitution and they are now switching it because of violence. I am confused on how changing the constitution will lower the amount of violence. I think that an average Kenyan would say “Am I safe” as Sarah C said. I think this because the Kenyans had violence with the first constitution so what will happen with the new one. If I were the Kenyans I would be confused. I think that the U.S. and the Kenya constitution are similar because they have all the same things such as, they have checks and balances. When I read the article and it mentioned this it reminded me of the U.S. One difference is (like kaitlyn said) that the U.S only had one Constitution and Kenya had two.
The question I wanted to ask is why did Kenya want a new constitution in the first place? I asked this question because I want to know if Kenya even had a good reason for a new constitution. Why have this constitution if it is going to result in fighting like in 2008.This constitution may spark disagreement and maybe 1,000 people would be killed. If a similar contract like a power sharing deal was so serious to the people what makes Kenya think something very serious like a constitution won’t spark even more fighting than before. I would also agree with Sarah and Margot, a constitution takes time and it can’t be done very quickly. If there wasn’t that great of a reason for getting a new constitution why waste time and lose the lives for a new constitution that may not even change much. Those are the questions I had after reading the article and watching the video.
After watching the video and reading the article. My first question would be why does the constitution have to change? I say this because last time they had to vote for a political reason they had 1,000 casualties and it was a bloody war. If they have a bloody battle again something might happen. For example, a war could breakout and there would be a lot more casualties than last time. That is a reason why I asked this question.
I think an average Kenyan would ask “Do we really need to change the constitution if we are going to loose lives over it.” I think they would ask this for many reasons. I say this because Last time 1,000 people died over choosing the president. That is what I think an average Kenyan would ask.
After watching the movie and reading the articles I have a few questions. One question I have is how long has there been violence after voting? I ask this because in the video some people were saying they were worried that after the voting there would be war and fighting like there has been. Some people were happy there was no violence some still doubted there was no fighting. I would also like to know why they needed to get a new constitution. If they had a constitution was it working? Because we have had the same constitution we started the country with. A person in Kenya might ask if the new constitution will solve their problems. I agree with Andrew how there constitution is similar to ours because the same checks and balances as the U.S. constitution.
In 2007 Why did Kenya get in a fight?
I don't get why they would fight over votes. It says in the text that Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package. I think the government’s goal is to end violence and conflict, and try to make Kenya a peaceful and organized nation.
Another question i have is what prompted Kenyans to get a new constitution? I ask this question because in the text and the movie it never clearly states why Kenya wanted to get a new constitution. The only fact that somewhat addresses my question is when it says in the text, “ Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package the President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. This ended the violence that killed more 1,000 people.
I agree with Mikey T., he asks if the government will follow the rules/laws of the new constitution. I think that they will follow some but not all. i say this because they are probably used to the old laws, especially the older members.
I agree with Rachel, I see many similarities and differences between Kenya’s new constitution and the United States constitution. A similarity between the two is that they both have an American-style constitution that has the system of checks and balances of the government. I agree with Alden and Keyshawn, that violence is never the answer no matter where you are.
I agree with Nick A. when I say i have a question about why they needed a new constitution. It did not state that in the articles or video, so that is unclear to me. Another question I have about the constitution is why some people dont want a new constitution, I know I would, it is just more fair to what changes have happened since the last one. I think an average person in Kenya might question in the future if the society of Kenya will change if the constitution does. Many parts of Kenya are angry and violent. I wonder if thet will change just because a new constitution. I also agree with Dylan M. when he says,"I am sure a lot of Kenyans are excited and really hopeful for the new government." So, in the future, the new constitution could result having a very good impact.
When I read the articles and watched the video, I was thinking: “Why was there an outbreak of violence in 2008?" I think this because it never stated why the outbreak happened. I also had another question similar to Rachel’s: “Why did Kenya get a new constitution? Did they need one?” I say this because throughout all of the media articles, it never really said why they needed a new constitution. In Kenya, however, the average citizen might have a few questions, like: “Will this constitution have a significant impact on our lives? Like Lauren said, the old constitution might have affected their lives very differently from the new one. Also, she said the new laws might affect the average Kenyan’s life in a very big or very small way. I see one similarity between the U.S. Constitution and the Kenyan one, which is: they both have the same laws and ideals. I think this because it gives Kenyans freedom to many important things, like voting.
1) I must say that after reading the article and watching the video, that Kenya is doing a great deal of good for itself. But, why didn’t they do this sooner? I ask this because the Kenyan history sounds pretty bad. With all of the violence and deaths, this should have happened a while ago. I have to agree with Kelsey that every time there is an election, will there be violence? Or is this going to happen every time the government does something? I ask these questions because it seems that there have been some major killings in Kenya. The article said that there had been violence in 2007. The violence had killed about one thousand people. Hopefully the new constitution will keep this from happening to Kenya again.
2) I think that an average person in Kenya would think that the new constitution would be a good thing. But they might wonder: What will the new forty-nine laws be? How will they affect my daily life style? Should I do something about what laws are made? The Kenyan people might think this because these questions’ answers would really affect their daily lifestyles and how and what they are allowed to do and say. Kenyans should really think about what they are going to with their new lifestyles and new rights and duties as citizens of Kenya. This is what I think about the new constitution in Kenya.
After reading the articles, and watching the videos, I have decided to answer to questions 1 and 2. For the answer to question 1, I ask, why after each discussion of political change, a fight break out, or violence happens upon the Kenyans? I ask this, because after every attempt of change, other than the last, there has been a breakout of violence. There has even been a causality rate of up to 1,000 people after one of the attempts. Like Alisa said, the government’s goal is to end the violence, and make Kenya a peaceful place. So why do they constantly fail to do so? How come they don’t have the power to over rule the rebels, and re-sustain peace? Another question I have about this subject is what made this attempt so different than all the others. Why was there an outbreak after every one of the attempts, yet with this one, everyone seemed to be OK with it? Was there no rebels wanting to stand up for what they believed in, or were there any rebels at all? I think that maybe, the citizens of Kenya were genuinely tired of the old government, and collectively wanted a new one. In the text, it never told of any repulsion towards the idea, and every one was for the change.
My answer for question 2 is that I think that an average Kenyan would ask something like “Will this new constitution be affective, or will we still have the same fights and same problems as before?” I say this, because since there has been so much fighting over the past new ideas, that this one could be just the same, excluding the fact that it made it the farthest in being approved. Most citizens would think that there will be some kind of dispute over the constitution, and many people that don’t agree with it will fight, due to past happenings. I also agree with Alisa when she said “It says in the text that they are using an American-style constitution with checks and balances. I think an average Kenyan would be wondering, if spreading the government into branches that can control each other, will this help?” I also think that an average Kenyan would be wondering if this new style of government would work as well, if not at all, for them. Also, looking at where we got today with that kind of government, and how we got there, they can see that we were alike, other than they may have had more disputes over the matter of change.
Those are my answers to questions 1 and 2.
The questions I have about Kenya’s new constitution are why did they need a new constitution? That’s my question because it doesn’t say who they want independence from and why they need new rules to follow. Also if they gained independence from Britain in 1963, then why would they need a constitution? Also I was confused about something I heard in the video and that was that when Kenyans vote it always seems that they then have to to fight in a war. I don’t understand why after you do a simple thing like voting it could turn into a war.
I think an average person in Kenya might ask: with a new constitution does that mean a whole new way of government where everything would change? I think they would ask that because with a new constitution comes new rules, laws, and people to follow and that’s a big commitment to commit to. Also another question might be will this new constitution cause our wars after voting to stop? I think someone would ask that because if you have a new constitution it could take a lot of voting to lay down the rules, so you wouldn’t want a bunch of wars to start over that.
Kenya’s constitution is like ours because of Annamarie said, they have system of checks and balances which is just like our constitution. A difference between theirs and ours is that their constitution was part of a reform package that the president and prime minister (of Kenya) committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in early 2008. We just wanted to establish rules for our people and government to follow, we didn’t have to worry about signing a power-sharing deal like the president and prime minister of Kenya did.
After watching the video and reading the article I have a couple of questions. Like Margot W I want to know why did Kenya need a new constitution and is it what the people want? A country does not just decide to write a new constitution for no reason. There must be something the government is not telling the people.
I think the average person in Kenya would ask how long will these constitutions last, and will it be good for the people or bad. Will they get to vote and will their votes really count.
I think that the Kenya constitution is written in the same way as the United States constitution. There will be checks and balances. I think the difference is that as stated in the article,” The government and parliament now must implement the ambitious document, a process expected to take up to five years. The document requires, among other things, the formation of a Supreme Court and a Senate. It also demands that the country's judiciary be vetted to rid it of corrupt or incompetent judges and that parliament pass 49 new laws.” The writers of the United States constitution did not have to do this.
After reading the articles and watching the movie, I feel the average person in Kenya would question whether the new constitution would be successful in achieving its objectives. Will it provide greater checks on presidential powers? Will it allow for grassroots administration? And will the civil liberties increase? Will there still be corruption, tribalism, and land grabbing which have afflicted Kenya since its separation from England in 1963? The average person in Kenya will also be asking themselves if there will be more violence as there was in the 2008 presidential elections that left 1,300 people dead. I agree with Mikey T by questioning whether the government would consistently follow the rules of the new constitution. I think opponents of the new constitution would still have seats in the government and may not follow it. Also I think some of their followers would gather people and rebel against the new constitution.
After reading the articles and watching the video, I have a couple questions about Kenya's new constitution. My first question is why was there so much violence? This came to my mind because the article didn't really say much about it. Another question I had was one of Rachel C. questions, " what prompted Kenyans to get a new constitution?" I did not know the answer to this because in the text all it said was how people were glad about it, and that there was violence. Those were my only two questions. Some similarities between Kenya's and U.S. government and social contract, is that they both had violence. Another similarity is that now the people of Kenya can have more power and freedom instead of having just like a dictator. We have this too. For example, President Obama has to pass what ever he says to the congress and senate so he can't just do what ever he wants to do. Now the President of Kenya has to do the same. Those are my answers to two questions about Kenya's constitution.
1. One question that I have about Kenya’s new constitution is how they plan to prevent violence in the future? I ask this because in the article it says,” Kenya's new constitution is part of a reform package that President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya's disputed December 2007 presidential vote.” This shows that every time they seem to have a political disagreement they resort to violence instead of discussing it. I also ask this question because in the movie a Kenyan resident said, “To me this is a historic moment because up to now it’s morning and we haven’t had anything to do with war because we are used to the fact that every time we vote we have to fight.” This tells me that after voting it is common for the people of Kenya to fight over their disputes and they were even expecting a war to arise after the vote for the new constitution. I believe that it will be hard for them to not fight because of their rough history of violence. I am eager to see in the future if the Kenyans can control themselves despite their different political views.
2. One question that I think an average person in Kenya would ask about the future with the new constitution is “Will this constitution strengthen the Kenyan government?” The reason I think a Kenyan would ask this is because of their possible concern for their future safety. I agree with Kelsey when she said the constitution is all part of a reform package that could bring order and security to the country of Kenya and their government. If I was from Kenyan, and had lived through the violent past, I would really question the safety of Kenya.
3. I think that the Kenyans constitution is both similar and different to the United States constitution. I agree with Laura in that she said they are both alike because before both of the countries formed their constitutions they fought over political disagreements. In the U.S. they tried to bring order to their new nation but it just resulted in a near destruction of their government. As in the U.S., Kenya fought after the first attempt of the government bringing order when they had a presidential vote in December 2007. Unlike Kenya however, the U.S. successfully restored their government while it is still unclear that the Kenyan constitution will work out or not. One last similarity is stated in the article when it says, “Kenya's president signed a new constitution into law Friday that institutes a U.S.-style system of checks and balances.” This shows that the U.S. constitution segment on checks and balances is the model for the new constitution of the government of Kenya. Hopefully the structure of Kenya will be restored with a constitution like the U.S.
1. One question that I have about Kenya’s new constitution is how they plan to prevent violence in the future? I ask this because in the article it says,” Kenya's new constitution is part of a reform package that President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya's disputed December 2007 presidential vote.” This shows that every time they seem to have a political disagreement they resort to violence instead of discussing it. I also ask this question because in the movie a Kenyan resident said, “To me this is a historic moment because up to now it’s morning and we haven’t had anything to do with war because we are used to the fact that every time we vote we have to fight.” This tells me that after voting it is common for the people of Kenya to fight over their disputes and they were even expecting a war to arise after the vote for the new constitution. I believe that it will be hard for them to not fight because of their rough history of violence. I am eager to see in the future if the Kenyans can control themselves despite their different political views.
2. One question that I think an average person in Kenya would ask about the future with the new constitution is “Will this constitution strengthen the Kenyan government?” The reason I think a Kenyan would ask this is because of their possible concern for their future safety. I agree with Kelsey when she said the constitution is all part of a reform package that could bring order and security to the country of Kenya and their government. If I was from Kenyan, and had lived through the violent past, I would really question the safety of Kenya.
3. I think that the Kenyans constitution is both similar and different to the United States constitution. I agree with Laura in that she said they are both alike because before both of the countries formed their constitutions they fought over political disagreements. In the U.S. they tried to bring order to their new nation but it just resulted in a near destruction of their government. As in the U.S., Kenya fought after the first attempt of the government bringing order when they had a presidential vote in December 2007. Unlike Kenya however, the U.S. successfully restored their government while it is still unclear that the Kenyan constitution will work out or not. One last similarity is stated in the article when it says, “Kenya's president signed a new constitution into law Friday that institutes a U.S.-style system of checks and balances.” This shows that the U.S. constitution segment on checks and balances is the model for the new constitution of the government of Kenya. Hopefully the structure of Kenya will be restored with a constitution like the U.S.
One question I had was why did they worry about violence at the election of the constitution? I’m asking these because why would there be a dispute after the people voted on Kenya’s new constitution. Another question I have about Kenya’s new constitution is, why did Kenya’s 2007 presidential election end in violence? Because it’s not like it’s going to harm you in any way. Also what was wrong with the old constitution to make them make a new constitution? So I’m wondering if the new constitution will hold up in the future. But I’m confused because one of the articles I read said the constitution had already been signed into law. Then later it mentioned that it would take five years to make it so that makes me very confused.
I have a few questions about Kenya's new constitution. I can't see how a new constitution is necessary unless the old one had problems. So, what was wrong with the old constitution that made the Kenyans want to make a new one? None of the articles seem to specify why the new constitution was made. Also, the first article states that 49 new laws have to be passed by parliament, but why 49 laws and how will this better Kenya? The seemingly random choice of 49 laws confuses me as to how the new constitution helps the people and the government of Kenya.
An average person in Kenya might wonder about whether the new constitution will hold up against more adversities in the future. In other words, will the constitution be strong enough to stand against future conflicts? This might be a question because the act of creating a new structure to the government and laws does set a starting point for a new age, but it is the practicality of the new changes that will sustain this new way of law. Also, one might be skeptical as to whether all in the community will be able to enforce the new constitution. Without perseverance and motive, the constitution could become nothing but a sheet of paper. The people and the government must both support this document, for if one rejects the new laws, then the laws may become unenforced and ignored, invalidating all of the hard work put into making Kenya a better place. An average Kenyan might actually have a similar question to the one Katie K. asked, as well. "How do they plan to prevent violence in the future?" I think a Kenyan might ask this because as the articles stated, "Kenya's new constitution is part of a reform package that President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya's disputed December 2007 presidential vote." This amount of violence associated with political views might make Kenyans anxious as to whether further changes in the government may come at a high cost of lives. Those are a few questions an average person from Kenya might be wondering.
The governments and constitutions of Kenya and the United States seem to be similar and different in a few ways. Firstly, Kenya's new constitution requires a Senate and a Supreme Court. The constitution of the U.S. also requires a Senate and a Supreme Court to provide laws and order whilst keeping checks and balances. So now, both the U.S. and Kenya should have a republic government system in which the people elect representatives. Some differences are that Kenya already had a constitution, and decide to create a new one, whereas the U.S. followed through with the one constitution they wrote first. Next, Kenya's new constitution is part of a peace package that is supposed to end the history of violence related to the government. In the United States, though, the constitution was written to organize the government of a new country. Lastly, Kenya's government has had a very violent past between the government and the people, whereas most problems between the government and the people of the U.S. seem to be solved relatively peacefully without mass murder. This is how Kenya's and the United States' governments and constitutions, new and old, are similar and different.
After watching the video and reading the article I have some questions about Kenya’s new constitution. One question I have is what made Kenya’s people want a new constitution? The article it didn’t say that there was any problem before the new constitution was made. All it said was that people were proud to be Kenyans now. In the video it showed the poll and there were about 6,000,000 (66.8%) of the people that wanted a new constitution and 2,000,000 (32.2%) of the people that don’t want a new constitution. My question is, why people would not want a new constitution? Why would they not want to have a new start and be proud of their background as Kenyan citizens? The last question I have from this video and article is, what in this new constitution makes the citizens proud to be Kenyans? The man that got interviewed for the video seemed excited about the new way that Kenya was going to be with the new constitution. These are some of the questions I have for the video and article.
I agree with Rachel C. when she says, “I think that a common question of an average person in Kenya about the future of their constitution might be how it will affect their daily lives.” This is true that people’s lives are going to change because the government is going to change. People want to know that they will be safe and their children will be safe so they can go on with their daily lives. But some people’s lives will not be normal they will have different duties and rights according to the constitution.
I think the people of Kenya would have many questions about this new constitution for Kenya. One of the questions that I think the people of Kenya would have about this new constitution is how is this new constitution protect me and keep me safe? In the U.S the constitution says that it will protect the citizens to the full extent that the government can. Will this new constitution have an army or navy to become a defense for the country? I wonder if the people in Kenya will feel safe and guarded with the new constitution. Another question that I think the people would have is what are the elements of this constitution that benefits the people? These people have had a rough time and in this economy people want the best for their money, and want to have a stable constitution. These are the questions that I think the people of Kenya would have.
After reading the articles and watching the video i come up with a few questions. Why did Kenya want a new constitution? Did they want a new Constitution because of the new President? i think it would be a good idea for Kenya to have a new Constitution because as Jake said 'Kenya's probably trying to update their country."
so i think it is a good idea for Kenyas to get a new Constitution.
Also my questions that i had were not answered in these articles.
What questions do you have about Kenya's new constitution? Explain.
After reading the articles and watching the article on Kenya's new constitution, I have several questions on the subject. Like Margot W., I have one major question, "Why did Kenya want a new constitution?" First, deciding whether or not to get a new constitution takes a long time. I know this because in the video it said that they had to vote many times to make this decision. I also know this because if you look at the polls in the video, 6,230,954 voted yes to getting a new constitution. I think that if so many people felt so strongly about this issue, then getting a constitution is a big step for their country. Next, writing and creating an actual constitution can take up to five years, so for someone to put that amount of time and effort into a document it means that they care a lot about the direction of their country and how to make it a better place to live. Another question I have is, "Will the Kenyan new constitution cause many problems for Kenya?" The reason I ask this question is because in the video it said that that about 67% of the people voted in favor of the new constitution, but 33% were opposed to the idea of a new constitution. I think that this might cause violence and rivalry between the two parties. Last, another question I had was, "How will other countries that are also trying to get a new constitution feel about Kenya's new constitution?" I asked this question because Kenya's decision might inspire other countries to do the same and update their constitutions. These are three questions I have on the Kenyan constitution.
What similarities and/or differences do you see between the new Kenyan constitution and the United States and our constitution?
The new Kenyan constitution is similar the United States constitution in a few ways. First, as Kelsey said, "Kenya's new constitution issued a Supreme Court, a System of Checks and Balances, and Senate just like our constitution." I think that the US constitution and the new Kenyan constitution are similar because the title of the article was, "Kenya gets new American-style constitution." A difference between these two constitutions are, as Rachel said, Kenya didn’t have to create their constitution from scratch, like the U.S. did. Kenya updated their old constitution while the US made a new one from nothing at all. The US had nothing to base their ideas from, while Kenya probably kept some of the ideas from their old constitution in their new constitution. Last, another difference between the US constitution and the new Kenyan constitution is that Kenya waited 40 years to create a new constitution, while the US took a year to create our constitution. Yes, the actual process of making the constitution took five years for Kenya, but they waited 40 years to make the decision to change to a more American style constitution. Those are the similarities and/or differences I see between the new Kenyan constitution and the United States constitution.
What questions do you have about Kenya's new constitution? Explain.
After reading the articles and watching the article on Kenya's new constitution, I have several questions on the subject. Like Margot W., I have one major question, "Why did Kenya want a new constitution?" First, deciding whether or not to get a new constitution takes a long time. I know this because in the video it said that they had to vote many times to make this decision. I also know this because if you look at the polls in the video, 6,230,954 voted yes to getting a new constitution. I think that if so many people felt so strongly about this issue, then getting a constitution is a big step for their country. Next, writing and creating an actual constitution can take up to five years, so for someone to put that amount of time and effort into a document it means that they care a lot about the direction of their country and how to make it a better place to live. Another question I have is, "Will the Kenyan new constitution cause many problems for Kenya?" The reason I ask this question is because in the video it said that that about 67% of the people voted in favor of the new constitution, but 33% were opposed to the idea of a new constitution. I think that this might cause violence and rivalry between the two parties. Last, another question I had was, "How will other countries that are also trying to get a new constitution feel about Kenya's new constitution?" I asked this question because Kenya's decision might inspire other countries to do the same and update their constitutions. These are three questions I have on the Kenyan constitution.
What similarities and/or differences do you see between the new Kenyan constitution and the United States and our constitution?
The new Kenyan constitution is similar the United States constitution in a few ways. First, as Kelsey said, "Kenya's new constitution issued a Supreme Court, a System of Checks and Balances, and Senate just like our constitution." I think that the US constitution and the new Kenyan constitution are similar because the title of the article was, "Kenya gets new American-style constitution." A difference between these two constitutions are, as Rachel said, Kenya didn’t have to create their constitution from scratch, like the U.S. did. Kenya updated their old constitution while the US made a new one from nothing at all. The US had nothing to base their ideas from, while Kenya probably kept some of the ideas from their old constitution in their new constitution. Last, another difference between the US constitution and the new Kenyan constitution is that Kenya waited 40 years to create a new constitution, while the US took a year to create our constitution. Yes, the actual process of making the constitution took five years for Kenya, but they waited 40 years to make the decision to change to a more American style constitution. Those are the similarities and/or differences I see between the new Kenyan constitution and the United States constitution.
After watching the video and reading the article I have one main question. My question is why did Kenya need a constitution? In order for a country to establish a new constitution they need a legitimate reason and there isn’t one clearly stated in the video or the article. Like Margot said “you can’t just sit down and expect to finish in an hour”; in other words, you need a good reason to write it. If I was an average Kenyan I would have a couple questions about the future with this new constitution. One question I would have is will this new constitution start new violence? I would ask this because Kenya has a recent history of violence. Another question I would ask is how is the constitution going to be reinforced? I would ask this question because it is one thing to create a constitution but to enforce it is a whole other thing.
The questions i have, well lets start with why would they want or even need a new constitution? Also why do they need to fight every time there is a new election? I mean the video states that every time there is an election there is a war. Would you really want to have a war every like four years? It would be terrible, I mean think about it, the man in the video was so familiar to the fact that there were guys with guns. Me I would never be familiar with that, but with him he was just so used to it. It was scary.
a few questions i think a Kenyan citizen would be asking is:
1. what are we doing? We don't have to fight; the only reason we are is because were so used to it, isn't it?
2. who are we fighting against? Our neighbors? I mean really were going to fight with friends of because of who we want our president to be?
3. How bad is it going to be this time? cause last time it ended with 1,000 people dieing.
4. Is it really worth it?
After watching the video and reading the article I have one main question. My question is why did Kenya need a constitution? In order for a country to establish a new constitution they need a legitimate reason and there isn’t one clearly stated in the video or the article. Like Margot said “you can’t just sit down and expect to finish in an hour”; in other words, you need a good reason to write it. If I was an average Kenyan I would have a couple questions about the future with this new constitution. One question I would have is will this new constitution start new violence? I would ask this because Kenya has a recent history of violence. Another question I would ask is how is the constitution going to be reinforced? I would ask this question because it is one thing to create a constitution but to enforce it is a whole other thing.
One question I have from reading this article about Kenya getting a new constitution is, why is Kenya bringing up this issue now? The reason I ask this is they could of brought the issue up 2 years ago yet they bring it up now. I mean they could have proposed this plan a while ago but they decide to propose the plan now. Also I didn’t get about in the article, why there were so many people killed after the December 2007 presidential vote? One reason I asked this was because I did not understand why people would want to kill each other after electing a new president. My last question was why was there the guy that had been risk arrested twice to this celebration? I thought this was weird because this is supposed to be happy and what if he had started to kill people. One question one person in Kenya might ask is “Why would they go with a constitution like we have in America? This is a question that could be answered because they were basing the constitution off ours because it had been working well for us. Also one might ask why they would start with a new constitution instead of basing it off their old one.
After reading both articles and watching the video I have one main question; just like Nick A and Christian asked, I want to know why there was a need for a new constitution in the first place. I understand it partly, like how it was important after the reform package that was commited to, to end the violence of the death of over 1,000 people. I know that is one, and one very good reason for there to be a new constitution, but I also know that there has to be more than that. Again, as Kristine mentioned, the country just gained independence from Britain in 1963. I find this such a short time to already need a new constitution. So why was a new constitution made?
My next question I have decided to answer is question two; what questions do you think an average person in Kenya would have about the future with the new constitution? I think the first question might be will this constitution really help future problems and violence? After the idea of the constitution was made two months of horrible fighting struck out, and now that the decision of a new constitution is final, I can’t imagine there being no fighting in the future and problems due to this.
My questions about Kenya’s constitution are: Why did Kenya need a new constitution? Did they have one in place before it? I agree with Margot that a country must have a reason to write a constitution: either being that they didn’t have one and wanted it, or had one and disliked it. I want to know if they had a constitution before, because then maybe it had led to some of the conflict that has been taking place there. If I knew the answers to these questions, the situation would be very clear. Like Katie said, I also wonder if there will be more violence over the constitution. If there was violence over something simple like who won the election, I want to know how they are going to react to a whole new set of laws, a new government, and other drastic changes. I want to know if they will once again resort to violence as a problem solver. As the Kenyan citizen said in the video, “… we are used to the fact that every time we vote, we have to fight…” This shows that they may or may not be violent about another major decision.
A question I think the people of Kenya will have is if this constitution will be effective. I know that if I lived in Kenya, with the given information (violence over election) that I would question the actual control that the government has. Like the articles said, in 2008, at least 1,300 people died because of the election. I would also wonder if the celebration will last over the constitution, or if they will again turn to violence. These two questions go hand-in-hand because if people decide they don’t like one thing about the constitution, they might again stop celebrating and turn to violence. I also think that another question that the Kenyans would have is: how is this new constitution going to affect me? I know that if I was in a country that had just put a new constitution into effect, this is something I would definitely ask myself. Their lives will (hopefully) drastically change (for the better), and they might want to know how things will be in the future.
There are many similarities between Kenya’s constitution and ours. First, both countries had to break away from Britain. Next, people in the countries were celebrating that they would finally have independence. They would also get a structured government and a new set of laws. They wouldn’t have to worry, because a new government would be put in place, and there would be order soon. These are the similarities between Kenya and the U.S.
I understand that Kenya’s new constitution limits the power of the president and provides the checks and balances, but I want to know if Kenya’s constitution addresses human rights. Also in the US constitution, gives power to the local governments and states. Does the Kenyan constitution give local government authority? If I were a Kenyan citizen I would want to know if the new constitution would provide for fair elections, so there would be no more rioting. I would also want to know how they would decide on the representatives to the senate. I agree with Dylan M in that just because Kenya has a new construction this does not mean there would be no corruption in the government. As a citizen, I would want the new construction to provide assurance that the corruption would end.
After reading the article and watching the video about Kenya’s new constitution, I have decided on answering the first and last questions. Here is my answer to the first question: My first question that I have about Kenya’s new constitution is why is there so much violence every time Kenya gets/tries to get a new constitution? Also, if there is violence every time they get a new constitution, then why would they risk voting for a new one without trying to find a way to make peace so no violence will occur? In my opinion I think it’s not very smart move by the government to risk peoples’ lives to try and go through with a new constitution. Another question I have is one that Clayton F and Alisa G asked which is, if the government says they plan on ending the violence, then why did it occur last time they tried to succeed? I think this is a great question because I think it really puts the Kenya’s government to the test and questions their ability to go through with what they say they will do. The government states that the new constitution is part of a reform package which to me means they want to help make their country a better place in general. I also believe this is a great question because if citizens of Kenya read it, it may make them think twice about their voting decision. Those are some questions that I am asking about Kenya’s new constitution.
Here is my answer to the last question: I think there are many similarities between the social contracts and the governments of Kenya and the United States. One similarity is like Molly M stated, that that both countries had violence before getting the constitution finished, Kenya had over 1,000 casualties in 2008 because the government tried to enforce the new constitution. The United States had many hardships and fights making it take a very long time for their constitution to be complete. Another similarity is that now since the new constitution is set in Kenya, the people have more freedom and the government no longer has most of the power. Their government is starting to become more like ours. For example, just like here, to pass a law, it has to go through the three branches of government. One difference is that in the United States, we’re a lot more organized country because in Kenya people live in fear that violence will occur any day, but here I think that people feel a lot safer and secure because our government has more strict laws. Those are two similarities and one difference between the United States and Kenya.
After watching the video and reading the articles, i have a few questions about the new constitution in Kenya. My first question is what are the major differences from the old constitution, and why were the changes necessary? There must have been something in the old constitution that was effecting the people in a negative way, or there wouldn't have been a need to change it. It seems that violence had been a serious problem in Kenya in the past; maybe the new constitution has something that will prevent that from happening any more. But don't believe I am the only one with questions. I believe that the people in Kenya might be wondering if the new constitution really will improve life for them. The polls were not exactly overwhelming. It was almost fifty-fifty, which means that just a little less then half the voters are still weary of the new constitution. Even those who voted for it might have questions on whether or not the changes made any difference or if this will only lead to more fighting among the tribes.
After watching the video and reading the articles, my questions questions about Kenya's new constitution are as followed:
President Mwai Kibiki said in both the article and video that the new constitution will have a system of checks and balances, will end "massive powers of the presidency", and include 49 new laws. How will this be accomplished, and how will they enforce new laws, when they have been unable to enforce the old ones? Like Mikey T. and others have asked, Can the government consistantly follow the laws of the new constitution. Since Kenya's independance in 1963, there have been three presidents all who have been invovled in corruption. How will this new constitution end corruption? It showed in the video, that 66% of voters voted yes for the new constitution. Will the remaining 44% respect and obey it?
A person in Kenya may have the following question about the constitution: How will this constitution effect the daily life of the common Kenyon? Will this new constitution help the extreme poverty in Kenya? Currently, up to half the people in Kenya earn less than 1 U.S dollar a day. Another question a Kenyon may ask, is how the constitution effect the tribal influence and corruption in Kenya? People in Kenya are loyal to thier family, their clan, and then to their tribe; even if that means doing something iligally. How will the new constitution end corruption against the Kenyon people? I read somewhere else that a common Kenyon pays as many as 16 bribes a month just to survive everyday living.
I hope the new constitution brings about new and positive change in Kenya, but only time will tell.
After watching the video and reading the articles, these are the questions I have. Why did 33% of the people vote against a new constitution for Kenya? What do they like about the old constitution? What do they not like about the new constitution? Also, I was not sure exactly what tribalism means. Some questions I think an average person in Kenya might have about their future with the new constitution would be can they trust the government to always follow the new rules? What about the people that are still there from the old government that might have liked things the old way? Finally, I think they should know what the 49 laws will be and how they will be affected by them. One similarity I see with the U.S. constitution is that they are trying to copy our system by making a Senate and creating a Supreme Court. I agree with Logan R. when he said that "it is one thing to create a constitution but to enforce it is a whole other thing". Will it take 5 years or more than that to get 49 laws passed? I think that there might be more violence there, depending on what those laws will be. I don't think they should have allowed Sudan's president to be at the celebrations. That shows that they were not following rules of the ICC.
After reading the article and watching the movie, my question is why would they make a new constitution? I ask this because like Margot said, Kenya had to have a good reason to make a new constitution and they couldn’t just make one up that day, making this kind of decision would take 5 years until the new constitution would be set. Like Mikey and Dallas, I also wonder id Kenyans would be able to follow these new rules/laws. Making this new constitution, could lead to more fighting like the one in February 2008, when more than 1,000 people died. I also agree with Sarah when she said that the constitution wasn’t worth risking the safety on Kenyans. Kenya’s new constitution is very similar to our American constitution. I think this because both constitutions help each country be better and a good place to live. Like Dallas and Sarah said “Also both constitutions showed the need for the creation of a Supreme Court and a Senate.” These are my questions and opinion about Kenya’s new constitution.
After reading the article and watching the video about Kenya's new constitution, one question i have is what presidential powers does the Mwai Kibaki have that have pushed Kenyan's to ask for a new constitution. The average person in Kenya has many questions about the future. Will the courts be fair? How will the Presidents powers be limited? When will the new constitution take effect? One similarity between the Kenyan constitution and the U.S. Constitution is that they both have a Supreme Court and a Senate. Once difference between the Kenyan Constitution and the U.S. Constitution is that Kenyan has a Parliament and a Prime Minister and the U.S. does not.
One question that I had about Kenya’s new constitution was, Was there was something that was so wrong with their old constitution that it required an entire new one? It takes a long time to make a constitution, and it risks a lot of violence. As Margot said, you can’t just sit down and bang out a whole new constitution. And was it really worth risking people’s safety for this new document? Those are my questions about Kenya’s constitution.
If I were Kenyan, I would wonder about my safety with the new constitution. The sources state that Kenya has a long history of violence after votes and elections, and this constitution is a bigger deal than votes and elections, in my opinion. The article talks about a presidential vote in December 2007, which led to violence that ended up killing more than 1,000 people. I couldn’t help but to wonder how safe I’d be following this constitution. That is the question I would wonder about the constitution as a Kenyan.
Kenya’s constitution is like our constitution in that they both helped to reform the government, and as Sarah C. said, they both called for the need of a Supreme Court and a Senate. They also have a system of checks and balances. The constitution was also a huge step in creating a better form of government (like Mikey T. said.) A difference between ours is that Kenya voted on whether or not to have a new constitution, whereas we didn’t. According to the video, 67% of Kenyans wanted a new constitution. I think the reason this might have happened is that the technology is much more today then what is what more than 200 years ago. Kenyans were all aware and up-to-date on the latest information about the constitution, while 200 years ago it would take days to find out what was going on. Those are the similarities and differences of Kenya’s constitution and America’s.
One question I had about this article was how is Kenya planning on stopping the violence that is happening from the new constitution? The reason why I’m wondering this is because there will be huge problems if they violence keeps going on. I think that an average person’s future in Kenya will be fine because if they changed their constitution they would of thought about it for a long time so it’s not like they are just sighing it without thinking about it. A thing the U.S and Kenya have in common with our constitution is we both use the system of checks and balances.
After reading the articles and watching the video it is unclear to me why Kenya wanted to make a new constitution. I questioned this because I get how they are making a new constitution to help get the people back on their feet but with doing this wouldn’t it lead to more violence like with the 2007 presidential election in Kenya? Also why did the tribes fight after the election? I asked this question because if the constitution is to help the people in Kenya then why would they fight about it. I think an average person in Kenya might question about why the people fought after the election. I think this because if I was a Kenyan and I thought the election was fine, I would think that if the constitution was going to help Kenya then why would I fight about it? Kenya is similar to us because they want to make their country better and try to take the violence away, so they vote on decisions that will help them. I agree with Andrew how there constitution is similar to ours because they have the same checks and balances as the U.S. constitution.
Much like Margot I am wondering “why did Kenya want a new constitution? I am asking this because a country has to have a good reason to make a new constitution. What I mean is that you can’t just decide to have a new constitution. To make a new document like this takes a long time; you can’t just sit down and expect to finish in an hour”. I think an average person in Kenya would be afraid if I lived in Kenya and a new constitution was made some people would be angry and express that violently. In the article it said that the constitution is very similar to ours and I think that to because, they also have to vote for their representatives. That is my opinion on this matter.
Post a Comment