Charity Ngilu dismisses push for referendum

A Cabinet Secretary on Sunday waded into the referendum politics, breaking ranks with colleagues who have kept a good distance since the major political players began the debate few weeks ago.
Lands and Housing Secretary Charity Ngilu on Sunday dismissed the push for a referendum by the governors and Cord leaders saying the government needed time to implement its policies and fulfil pledges it made to the voters.

“President Kenyatta’s government just came to power the other day. Why do you want to distract it with all this talk of a referendum and other cheap things? We need time and space to work for Kenyans,” Ms Ngilu said yesterday in Korogocho slums, Nairobi, where she commissioned the construction of an estate road sponsored by the Italian government.

Ms Ngilu also took a swipe at former Prime Minister Raila Odinga saying he should keep off the referendum push.

“This is backward politics. Can’t this government be allowed to discharge its duties without trouble?” she asked.

Cabinet Secretaries are constitutionally expected to keep away from politics and concentrate on serving the people. However, Ms Ngilu’s latest interjection went against that expectation.

MIXED REACTIONS

The agitation for a referendum by Cord and a section of governors and senators on Sunday continued to elicit mixed reactions from politicians and religious leaders.

In the Western region, Bishop John Chabuka of the African Divine Churches clashed with politicians including Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya over the push for a referendum arguing that it was too soon to ask Kenyans to amend the Constitution.

“We ask those pushing for a referendum to be patient and wait a little longer to see how the Constitution will work out since the government has just embarked on implementing it,” said the cleric.

However, Bishop Chabuka said the government must be ready to release funds allocated to the counties to give strength to the devolved units.

Speaking in Mumias, Mr Oparanya said: “We have been allocated a meagre 12 per cent which is equivalent to Sh210 billion for 47 counties against the Sh1.6 trillion national budget yet devolved governments shoulder more and key responsibilities compared to the national government.”

He added: “Our reasons for asking Kenyans to amend the law is anchored on the fact that devolution must be done in totality and have county governments fully operational.”

But Teso South MP Mary Emaseh and her Nambale counterpart John Bunyasi called on those pushing for a referendum to quash their demand and give the government space to implement the Constitution.

In the North Rift, church leaders including Eldoret ACK Bishop Christopher Ruto, retired Bishop Thomas Kogo and AIC Bishop for the region Patrice Chumba, dismissed calls for the referendum and asked leaders to give President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, time to organize the government and deliver services which they promised Kenyans during the campaigns.

In Nandi, Senators Stephen Sang (Nandi) and Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) also dismissed claims they were fighting MPs saying they wanted devolution to work.

However MPs Alfred Ketter of Nandi Hills and Cornelius Serem of Aldai and former MP Joshua Kuttuny took issue with the governors telling them to serve the voters and keep off extravagant spending.

Governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa), Dr Cleophas Lagat (Nandi ) and Alex Tolgos (Elgeyo Marakwet ) said political party differences should not divide Kenyans and that all they wanted was enough funding to provide quality service to Kenyans as Turkana Central MP John Lodope urged the county chiefs to first demonstrate how they will use the money allocated to devolved units.

In Nyeri, after a prayer meeting at Bantu Mountain Lodge in Naru Moru, elders from Kikuyu, Maasai and Meru communities opposed the push for a referendum.

Reported By John Shilitsa, Linet Wafula, Francis Mureithi, James Ngunjiri, Sammy Lutta and Tom Matoke