Deputy President William Ruto has reaffirmed his stand on the proposed inclusive government, saying that including losers in the government would turn the country into a one-party state.
“If there are no winners in elections, then we are trying to create a single-party system. If we do that, we are walking straight into a dictatorship,” said Dr Ruto.
Speaking on Sunday, the DP argued that a referendum is unnecessary as the amendments can instead be done to address the opposition challenge to and have the opposition do its role effectively.
He went on to bash the current opposition team led by Raila Odinga claiming that his team is too weak as those involved are stranded in between playing the government’s role and that of the opposition.
“You need a stronger opposition than anything else in Kenya today. The opposition leaders are stranded because they are not in Parliament or in any formal office,” he argued.
DP @WilliamsRuto: We don’t need a referendum to address the opposition challenge. It can be done through amendments.#RutoOnPunchline @AnneKiguta pic.twitter.com/gdPMh8FcZt
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) July 21, 2019
He claimed that those who are agitating for constitutional change should come together and give Kenyans their proposals. He added that Kenya is a multi-party democracy and any legislation that negates this constitutional ideal is untenable and will set us on the path of a dictatorship.
The DP went on to clarify that he has no time to engage in the referendum debate.
He said he is busy implementing President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda and accused the opposition, led by Mr Raila Odinga, of hypocrisy in regard to the referendum.
“I have no time for that rhetoric, I am a busy man. I am busy serving the country and spearheading the implementation of the development agenda; those are the instructions I have from my boss President Kenyatta,” said Mr Ruto.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Thursday verified that Ekuru Aukot’s ‘Punguza Mzigo’ Initiative pushing for a constitutional amendment indeed met the required threshold of at least one million signatures.
The commission stated that the initiative – sponsored by Aukot’s Thirdway Alliance Kenya Party – was supported by a total of 1,222,541 registered voters.