Responsible Citizenship

As a Citizen of a particular country, its indicated that one should honor and value the country that they belong to. A citizen should also abide by the set rules and the rights granted to you, set under the constitution.  But what does it take to be a responsible citizen? Does a citizen who abides with the set laws, honors his country and even lets his civic responsibilities be heard and seen, constitute a responsible citizen. The answer to this is in the affirmative.

But that is not all that ensures one as a responsible citizen. In Kenya, not only do you need to have identification, in form of birth certificate, National ID, voters card (once past 18 years) or passport, one must also abide to a few set regulations so as to be considered a responsible citizen.

A responsible Kenyan citizen should ensure that they pursue an education. But what does this mean? There are Kenyan citizens out there who do not have the options nor the means to get an education, even if only up to the primary stages. Does this mean that those who can't afford going to school aren't being the responsible citizens that they are desired to be? The responsible citizen is also meant to pay taxes, through the mandatory ways placed the government. This is inclusive of the income tax, where as a certified citizen of Kenya, working,has certain percentage has to be deducted from your monthly salary. The higher your salary, the higher the percent deducted.

A good citizen has also the responsibility of voting, once they turn 18 years of age. This would essentially mean that the citizen has the option of choosing and voting their candidates, whether as member of Parliament or as the president, in accordance to their personal beliefs and preferences. A responsible Kenyan citizen is encouraged to be free and wise while voting. It is also essential that one must be responsible for their environment and those who reside in it.

Being a responsible citizen means that one must abide by the granted rights, privileges and regulations of citizenship by the constitution, and at the same time benefiting to the set rules.

What are your thought on responsible citizenship? Do you think the set constitution should state what a responsible citizen should be?