Nothing in the current push for a referendum excites the country than the creation of the prime minister’s post. Even before the seat is birthed, there is heightening anxiety over who could be the beneficiary of the position if it is created.
We must slay ghost of corruption, Uhuru declares Out of the 13 proposals so far for the change of the 2010 Constitution, 11 have the creation of the office of premier at their heart. Politically, the allure of the premier’s seat seems to have captured the Kenyan psyche, and a given unanimity seems to suggest that the position could be an alternative to the winner take-all kind of politics that has dominated the country.
Political pundits have indicated that this could actually be the cure for the cyclic chaos that has characterised Kenyan politics every election season. Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi says President Uhuru Kenyatta could serve in the PM position after his presidential term ends in 2022. “If there is a time the country needs change, it is now. The prime minister position will help create a matatu presidency, you can have Raila Odinga as a ceremonial president and Uhuru as an executive prime minister, but its creation will dismantle animosity,” says Ngunyi.
Take this quick survey to help us improve the website and content He says doing away with the presidential system will be a relief given that dictatorship crept in when Kenya adopted the model. Power-sharing deal Dismas Mokua, a political risk analyst says the moment is apt and its allure real.
What Raila’s new Africa job means “Parliamentary system of government allows all and sundry to participate in the decision making process of the nation, it will even give marginalised communities an opportunity to lead the country,” Mokua says. The PM’s office in Kenya dates back to 1963 when Kenya got independence and Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as the first premier. It was abolished and Jomo became President in 1964.
The same position resurfaced after the tumultuous 2007 elections, when a power-sharing deal was reached in February 2008. The post was created in April 2008 and weeks later, on April 17, Raila was sworn in as Kenya’s second PM. As the charm for the seat continues to pervade, political realignment that comes with its possible return is the talk of town. According to Busia Woman Representative, Florence Mutua, the creation of the PM post will ensure the actions and decisions of the executive are subjected to stringent parliamentary scrutiny. To Ms Mutua, the time had come for the review of the structure of government at the national level to shift the nation towards a parliamentary system. But exactly who is interested in the PM’s position? Some politicians believe that Raila’s quest to have the 2010 Constitution changed is to all have the PM’s seat for him. “We know that this clamour and calls for referendum is all tied to a creation of PM seat for someone who has lost elections perennially, that is their fixation,” Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen recently said.