Kenya wins envoys’ praise for reforms

Kenya was on Thursday praised for the reforms it has undertaken so far.

Ambassadors representing countries in the European Union, however, said the pace of implementing the new Constitution needed to be speeded up ahead of the General Election.

“There is no doubt that a number of positive developments have taken place... but it has not yet reached the tipping point,” said Mr Lodewijk Briet, the head of the EU delegation in Kenya.

“Some important Bills have been passed and key appointments made. However, a lot more remains to be done and there is little time left to the next General Election,” he added.

At a news conference where he led 12 envoys from the EU countries, the envoys expressed concern over the controversy surrounding the date for elections. They asked Kenyans to agree on the date sooner rather than later.

Some politicians say that elections can only be held in March 2013, which is 60 days after the expiry of the term of the current Parliament.

The envoys said they were also particularly worried by the slow pace of enacting crucial Bills that will ensure the smooth running of the elections.

They revealed that they had credible reports that some witnesses and families of the International Criminal Court were being threatened.

They proposed that Bills on political parties, security and devolution be prioritised and appealed to the Executive and Parliament to “dedicate their times and energies” to drafting and passing the legislation as they were critical for the elections to take place fairly and peacefully.

However, Mr Charles Nyachae, the chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), assured the envoys that there was no controversy over next year’s election date.

“The agreement on the election date was reached in August last year when Kenyans passed the Constitution. There is no contest about that,” Mr Nyachae said.

Mr Nyachae has always held the view that according to the new Constitution, Kenyans will go to the vote on the second Tuesday of August, every fifth year.

“It is unthinkable that we can consider overshooting the date for elections... that is a recipe for a major crisis, which we are in a position to avoid,” Mr Nyachae said.

Unnecessary controversies

“Many people have suggested that elections should not be held in August next year… Such suggestions indicate that there is a deliberate effort to slow down the implementation,” he said.

Kenyans, Mr Nyachae said, must be careful not to create unnecessary controversies as this will not be good for the implementation.

He said delays in the implementation without proper reasons will make Kenyans question whether there are some ulterior motives or a ploy to derail the process.

The CIC chairman once again criticised Attorney-General Amos Wako, accusing him of being an impediment to the implementation of the new laws. “He needs to take his work seriously to ensure that the implementation process remains on track,” Mr Nyachae said.