Kenyan leaders have vowed to confuse Kenyans over mega decisions.Lately it has been new curriculum roll-out in schools next year and now a giant that some might have thought was a sleep has been awakened, the revival of the referendum debate.
Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) boss Francis Atwoli has dared Deputy President William Ruto to resign over his remarks suggesting referendum supporters were foolish.
In a tour of Western Kenya on Sunday, December 23, Ruto made an about turn on his support for the plebiscite saying together with majority Kenyans he was not a fool to support a referendum bent on creating positions for few leaders.
Speaking to KTN News on Monday, December 24, only a day after Ruto’s sentiments, Atwoli said the DP needed to resign for contradicting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s position on the looming referendum.
The COTU boss was categorical that a referendum vote would happen in 2019 whether Ruto wanted it or not and Kenya would have a new Constitution before the 2022 General Election.
“Ruto shouldn’t have gone to the extent of referring to proponents of the plebiscite as fools. The proposal for Constitution change in fact came from me. We must revisit the law especially on governance issues and eliminate winner takes it all status,” he said.
Atwoli argued the Constitution change was inevitable because Kenyan leaders had failed to manage their communities politically predisposing supporters to violence after elections.
He said Ruto should have reserved his comments which portrayed Uhuru and Opposition leader Raila Odinga among fools because of their goodwill to support referendum endorsed by majority Kenyans through Building Bridges Initiative.
“It’s too early for Ruto to call us fools. As the serving deputy president he should walk out of government over the remarks or boldly enough form a firm camp to oppose the referendum when it comes. It’s not a matter of if a referendum will be there but a matter of when,” Atwoli stated.