Mudavadi pushes for IEBC overhaul amid referendum calls

Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi has said that before a referendum is held, the electoral agency must be overhauled.

Mr Mudavadi said the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission team that oversaw last year's general election is compromised, thus unfit to stay in office.

"Let us sort out the IEBC first then we can go to a referendum with more objectivity," he said at St Stephen's Catholic Church in Lunga Lunga, Kwale County, on Sunday.

AUDIT

Mr Mudavadi said there is need for socio-economic audit of the Constitution to help identify sections that need revision.

More importantly, he made it clear that it is a national issue, and should be endorsed as such.

"It is not possible for political leaders alone to have the decision or authority to know what should be changed in the Constitution. All people should be involved," he said.

However, he said priority issues such as food security should be dealt with first.

The Nasa co-principal also asked leaders to ensure the referendum push does not cause divisions among Kenyans.

"We need to ask ourselves the timing of the referendum and when is the right time to talk about the referendum."

He was accompanied by MPs Kassim Tandaza (Matuga), John Bunyasi (Nambale), Alfred Agoi (Sabatia) and Tindi Mwale (Butere), among others.

DEVOLUTION

The need for a referendum has been endorsed by several key leaders, with Opposition boss Raila Odinga pointing out that it is necessary if Kenyans are to attain growth in all quarters of life.

The ODM leader singled out devolution as one of the sectors that must be assessed to determine whether it is facilitating the country to achieve its goals.

"Our constitution is very ripe for change. We must evaluate if devolution has served successfully and the emerging bottlenecks. Is the executive too bloated for our economy? And what about environmental issues?" Mr Odinga asked on Friday during a political rally in Migori.

Though Deputy President William Ruto has joined the bandwagon, he said the matter should be approached from a national perspective, not individual.

2022 ELECTIONS

Mr Ruto has been accusing Mr Odinga of championing for constitutional reforms for selfish reasons.

"We are not scared of a referendum, and we are waiting for those crusading for it to explain to Kenyans on the changes they want," Mr Ruto said in Tharaka Nithi on Saturday.

Together with a section of Mt Kenya leaders such as Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki, Mr Ruto accused Mr Odinga of pushing for the creation of a prime minister post for himself.

President Uhuru Kenyatta also chipped in, urging leaders to focus on their duties of improving the lives of Kenyans.

"My main aim is to uplift the lives of our people. We cannot achieve this if we engage in politics and are divided politically. The over 40 million Kenyans want services from those they elected. Let us wait for the five years to lapse to start politics," he said at Uhuru market in Nairobi on Saturday during a clean-up.