Uhuru and Raila wade into referendum duel

Political battle lines have been drawn after President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday dared governors and opposition politicians over their push for a referendum.

Mr Kenyatta spoke as Cord leader Raila Odinga said he would work with Jubilee Coalition leaders in the push for a referendum. Mr Kenyatta is the leader of the Jubilee Coalition.

The President said the government was not scared of the threats to amend the Constitution.

“Respect the Constitution and stop threatening the government with constitutional amendments to serve partisan interests,” Mr Kenyatta said in Nairobi during the official opening of the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa Women Council Conference.

And in Mombasa, Mr Odinga said the referendum would make it possible for county governments to receive more funds, empower the Senate and devolve many more functions of the national government.

“We want a referendum that will increase allocation of funds to the county governments so that development is realised at the local level. It is time the government devolved some duties to the county governments in order to ease the congestion of duties at the central government,” Mr Odinga said.

Meanwhile, his former campaign manager, Mr Eliud Owalo, joined the launch of a movement seeking to spearhead campaigns to change the Constitution.

The group, known as the March 4 Movement, wants the next president to be elected by an electoral college rather than by popular vote.
The movement intends to collect one million signatures for a referendum.

The movement says it has already collected 300,000 signatures in its bid to amend Article 138 (4) of the Constitution which provides for the election of the president.

But the Jubilee Senate Majority Leader, Dr Kithure Kindiki, accused Cord of hijacking the calls for referendum to push its own political agenda.
He said senators from the Jubilee Coalition would pull out if Cord intended to use the referendum to effect far-reaching changes to the Executive as set in the Constitution.

Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi also said he and his colleagues were disturbed by Cord’s decision to use the referendum to change the presidential system of government to a parliamentary one where MPs will transform themselves into an electoral college to elect the president.

“We, as senators from the Jubilee Coalition will not support a referendum if it goes beyond the issues of strengthening the Senate and allocating more resources to the counties,” he said.

According to the March 4 Movement, for one to be declared winner in a presidential election, he/she must receive at least more than half of the 431 college votes cast by MPs, senators, women representatives and governors elected in a general election.

On Wednesday, the conveners of the movement said devolving the presidential elections to counties would give candidates from smaller tribes a good fighting chance.

“The current process has been reduced to an acrimonious census of tribal numbers, is prone to electoral fraud, and it marginalises sparsely populated regions and small ethnic groups in what is now provocatively referred to as the ‘tyranny of numbers’, ” said Mr Omtatah.

“We have now started the historic process potentially leading to the first amendment to our Constitution,” he said.

“We shall present the one million signatures together with a draft amendment Bill to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for action,” he said.

Mr Owalo, who was last month questioned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) officers on allegations that he was planning to destabilise the government said he had never denounced the movement.

He said he had never heard of the movement before being summoned by the law enforcers who claimed that he was part of the M4M.

“I had no knowledge of this movement when I was summoned by the DCI. But after interacting with Mr Omtatah and got to understand its objectives, I have now joined it. I will do everything to ensure it succeeds in its quest,” he said.

The officials revealed that the movement would be officially unveiled to Kenyans on August 22.

In Busia County, Cord leaders expressed their support for a referendum, saying the move would change some contentious issue in the Constitution.

Led by Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and Funyula legislator Paul Otuoma, the leaders said the referendum was necessary because it would also speed up devolution.

“Due to the so-called tyranny of numbers, the country adopted hybrid system of government which is very dangerous to the national cohesion and integration because it locks out majority of people,” Dr Otuoma said.

Reported by Bernard Namunane, Dave Opiyo, John Njagi, Linet Wafula, Mwang’ombe Mwambeo and Eunice Kilonzo