News
PSC settles on presidential model
Parliamentary Select Committee on the constitution members Moses Wetengula (right), Martha Karua (centre) and Beth Mugo (left) during a break at the Great Rift Valley Lodge, Naivasha. The MPs are are holding a retreat to seek consensus on the draft constitution agreed on a presidential system of government January 21, 2010. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE
Posted Thursday, January 21 2010 at 11:59
A House team negotiating amendments to the revised draft constitution Thursday settled on a presidential system of government.
Sources at the Naivasha meeting indicated that they will use the better part of Thursday to iron out the details of the proposed system.
The proposal is said to have been moved by an ODM minister and garnered support from the PNU side and part of ODM.
A PNU minister told the Daily Nation on Wednesday night that there was agreement that the system should be presidential similar to the US model.
The 26-member Parliamentary Select Committee is holding a week-long retreat at the Great Riftvalley Lodge, Naivasha to seek consensus on contentious issues in the draft, mainly the chapter on the Executive.
In the proposed system, the president, who will will be head of state and government will be checked by strong institutions, namely : parliament and the judiciary.
"There was also a feeling that the devolved governments should be strong enough in order to have proper checks on the executive," said one of the MPs.
It was proposed that the president, who will not be an MP, should chair Cabinet and that all ministers should come from outside parliament.
The MPs said that this will clearly separate the executive from the legislature.
The MPs are expecting to use the expertise of the Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission and two statisticians to break a deadlock on the formula for the distribution of constituencies.
On Wednesday, the PSC agreed that there should be 325 MPs of whom 266 are elected directly by the people. This means that an additional 56 constituencies are to be created in addition to the 210 in place.
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Submitted by trewmanPosted January 22, 2010 07:03 PM
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Submitted by vgogero
What about the the VP or running mate will he or she also not be an Mp.And who will be the leader of Government business in the house and chair of the house business committee .I propose that the two posts should be held by two separate individuals the former can be a Presidential appointee while the latter be elected by the house .
Posted January 22, 2010 01:04 PM -
Submitted by wanaruonawikenya
Hongera PSC. i like the way you are working in harmony without shouting at each other. I hope Raila and Kib will remain silent and wait for Kenyans to decide. It was a big surprise to see PSC agree for presidential model where cabinet will be made of non mps. Bravo! and dont change your mind later after such a good work.
Posted January 22, 2010 12:59 PM -
Submitted by mkei
The idea of ministers being appointed from outside the parliamentarians is great news.Where i'm seated, ministers are not members of parliament and the effects are evident. Let CVs do the talking for our cabinet.With that almost home n dry, will some out there,somebody sneak a recall clause for wayward MPs? That would make my year.
Posted January 22, 2010 12:47 PM -
Submitted by joelotangaotiini
This is wonderful news!!After all the nauseting politics of Mau-KKK this abreath of fresh.But if we are going to have 300 MPs,then i suggest that we do away with assistant ministers.Otherwise we might end up spending too much on administration at the expense of development
Posted January 22, 2010 12:02 PM
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This is a great step forward. The only issiue remaining is what to do with power hungry polititians who only join politics in the aim of being made cabinet ministers.It is this people that will try and surbotage this development.what this move does is block mps from being power hungry and making definate limits to their powers. I love it.