MPs in plot to force a deal in law draft talks

• Quest for consensus as House team starts crucial six-day retreat on new constitution

A group of back-bench MPs is planning to reject the extremist stance taken by the big political parties and force a compromise at the consensus talks called by the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution.

The MPs, who are members of the PSC and from various political parties, said they will be not swayed by the “hard-line positions” taken by the Party of National Unity and its coalition partner, the Orange Democratic Movement.

Powerful prime minister

ODM tends to favour a parliamentary, with a powerful prime minister elected by MPs. PNU says it wants a presidential system, where the president will be powerful, but checked by other institutions.

A PSC retreat to hammer out an agreement begins in Naivasha Monday.

Clamour for two drafts — one proposing a Presidential system of government and the second a Parliamentary arrangement — is gaining currency among MPs, who are not members of the PSC, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) and civil society.

On Sunday, ministers and MPs who form the 26-member select committee on the review chaired by Mandera Central MP Mohamed Abdikadir started arriving at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha for the six-day talks.

The retreat is meant to arrive at a compromise on the contentious issues, among them the form of government the country will adopt, and emerge with a document that will be acceptable to MPs in Parliament and Kenyans at the referendum.

On Sunday, MPs Martha Karua, Isaac Ruto and Jeremiah Kioni asked back-bench members of the team to take their own positions on the contentious issues, and not party positions.

Held hostage

She said the retreat will not be held hostage by the positions of the two coalition partners, and urged members of the PSC to give priority to Kenyans. The outcome of the retreat, said the Gichugu MP, should not be “quick fixes” to the rivalry between PNU and ODM.

Mr Ruto said they will be guided by the wishes of Kenyans and not the interests of their political parties. The members, he said, will not be bullied into taking partisan positions.

“We are not going there as parties, we are not going to accept procrastination and chest-thumping, we owe it to Kenyans to get a new constitution. We do not want to look at this document on the basis of the current office holders,” the Chepalungu MP said.

While PNU and ODM had a big say in the constitution, Mr Ruto said, views of other stakeholders should be taken on board.

“We know what Kenyans want. Whereas ODM and PNU are important players, they are not the most important players, we are not going there to push the ODM and PNU agendas, we are going there to push for a proper constitution for Kenyans and time is not on our side. We only have this week to hammer out a deal,” said the ODM MP.