The clamour for constitutional change has been growing louder. Various groups have been calling for a referendum for different reasons, including the need to tame the soaring public wage bill, open the door to a parliamentary system of government, strengthen devolution and redress electoral injustices.
How referendum calls jolt the 2022 political equation The bid has gained momentum as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which was unveiled following the political truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leaders Raila Odinga, started collecting views from the public on areas of national concern and how they should be addressed.
Raila, who in April proposed that the country adopt a three-tier government that would see the formation of 14 regional blocs, has insisted the work of BBI would result in constitutional review through a popular initiative. “The referendum will be the best thing for Kenyans as they will have the opportunity to address some of the long-standing issues,”
Raila said recently in Kisumu, referring to the nine-point agenda the two leaders agreed needed to be resolved as part of their March 9 agreement to cease hostilities following the disputed presidential election. The advisers for BBI — political and religious leaders as well as scholars — are tasked with seeking solutions to ethnic antagonism and competition, lack of national ethos, inclusivity, devolution, divisive elections, safety and security, corruption, shared prosperity and responsibilities and rights.
“We have been receiving good responses from the public. Majority of Kenyans have been sending their responses through the online platform. The responses touch on the nine-point agenda of the ‘handshake’,” said lawyer Paul Mwangi, who co-chairs the secretariat for the unity initiative. Stay informed while on the go by subscribing to the Standard Group SMS service.
But it is concerns about the bloated wage bill and the alarming increase in public debt levels that have increased the burden of high taxes on Kenyans that are fuelling a popular campaign to overhaul the governance structure. Senate Minority Leader James Orengo said there was a need for a constitutional review to introduce a parliamentary system of government that he argued was the best for the country. Financial burden
Dissolve cabinet now, Mudavadi tells Uhuru “The current Constitution gives Kenyans a heavy financial burden that should be done away with. We need to have a parliamentary system and that can only be achieved through constitutionalreview,” Mr Orengo said. ODM Chairman John Mbadi (Suba South) added:
“There is need for a bi-partisan approach to electoral reforms, system of governance, devolution and Parliament. We believe the Building Bridges Initiative team is working to address the issues. We can only wait for their recommendations.”
However, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said a constitutional referendum was not a priority for the ruling Jubilee Party.
“The Jubilee Party will not be involved in the debate about reducing the number of electoral seats until it gets direction from President Uhuru Kenyatta. Our prime focus is on the Big Four agenda,” Mr Duale said. Last Thursday at a public meeting in Tana River County attended by Deputy President William Ruto, Duale led more than 10 MPs in rejecting calls for a constitutional referendum, which they claimed were driven by greed.
“The terms of the service of the 14-member committee of Building Bridges does include the calls for a referendum,” said Duale. In May, when he opened the third annual Devolution Legislative Summit in Mombasa, Ruto dismissed the push for constitutional changes despite prodding by Orengo.