Constitution Clash: Azimio vs. Kenya Kwanza
Kenya Kwanza and Azimio legislators disagree over Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba’s assertion that amendments to the 2010 Constitution are warranted.
The attorney had proposed amendments to the constitution about representation, government structure, devolution, constitutional commissions, and the East African Community (EAC).
During an interview with Citizen TV, Kenya Kwanza-elected senator from Nyandarua, John Methu, disagreed with the former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s (EACC) description of the constitution as self-healing.
The senator opposed the idea of reexamining the nation’s borders, arguing that it would further polarize an already fragile nation.
“Even though Kinangop is one of the largest constituencies in the country, I am not in favor of boundary revision. This discussion (of boundary review) will turn every village into a constituency,” he explained, explaining how politicians will use the review to advocate for their territories.
Lumumba had lamented that the two-thirds gender rule had become so difficult to implement that a review was necessary.
Again, the senator from Nyandarua remarked that the fact that implementation had been difficult did not make it impossible. “The two-thirds gender rule will eventually be implemented,” he assured Kenyans.
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The founders of our constitution prepared the parchment in a manner that provides checks and balances between the three branches of government, he continued.
According to Methu, this established a framework for implementation without the need for amendment.
In particular, he described how the Executive and Legislature had supported Building Bridges Initiatives (BBI) while the Judiciary corrected the constitutional violations committed by the Executive and Legislature.
Robert Mbui, a Kathiani member of parliament from Azimio, disagreed with Methu and stated that the two-thirds gender rule could not be implemented in parliament under the current circumstances.
He explained that such a step could only be taken if the legislature increased the number of nomination positions, which is untenable.
Regarding elected positions, he indicated that the only way to increase the number of women in leadership positions was to prohibit men from running in various constituencies.
“We will examine greys that require modification,” he cautioned before beginning the modification process.
Constitution Clash: Azimio vs. Kenya Kwanza