MPs promise Kenyans law talks deal

MPs attending a retreat in Naivasha to hammer a deal on the revised draft constitution have promised the country that they will reach a breakthrough by Friday.

In the only session that was open to journalists and technocrats within the political parties Monday the Parliamentary Select Committee chair Mr Mohammed Abdikadir and his deputy Ababu Namwamba said the team had no option but to succeed.

“We are able to succeed and can achieve consensus on the business that brought us here,” Mr Abdikadir said as he took his colleagues through the principles guiding their deliberations.

Mr Namwamba, who is the Bundalangi MP, challenged members to rise to the occasion and help deliver a new constitution. Speaking at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha, he said the hope of the 40 million rested with the committee.

“Kenyans are waiting with bated breath to see a white smoke billow from this conference room,” said Mr Namwamba.

The legislator said this was the fifth PSC since 1992 to be given the task of delivering a new constitution to Kenyans and asked the members to break the jinx. He also admitted the job was not easy, saying it was not “a church service or a wedding ceremony.”

The PSC has eight more days to ensure that they reach consensus and present their recommendations to the Committee of Experts. The highly divided PSC has the daunting task of bridging the contentious issues against the backdrop of political interests.

Other than the MPS, at the retreat is a secretariat made up of parliamentary staff drawn from the research and legal departments. The main political parties ODM and PNU also have members of their secretariat at the lodge.

However, only the parliamentary secretariat and the MPs are attending the sessions.

By the time the retreat kicked off ministers Uhuru Kenyatta, Najib Balala and William Ruto had not arrived for the deliberations.
Narc Kenya chairperson Martha Karua too had not arrived by noon Monday. Mr Kenyatta arrived minutes after 11am.

The MPs are using previous drafts including the Wako and Bomas drafts as they review the revised harmonised draft that they received from the Committee of Experts on January 8.

Critics of the process have indicated that a deal among the politicians will be very key before Kenyans go to the referendum mid this year.

The PSC discussed the first seven chapters of the draft. Mr Namwamba also took the MPs through an analysis of the report that accompanied the draft when they received it from the experts.