By Benson Ndiwa
Religious leaders drawn from Kiambu county have opposed the draft constitution amendment bill tabled by Nandi county senator Samson Cherargei, that seeks to increase the term limit to 7 years for all the elective posts.
Led by Glory Outreach Assembly bishop David Thagana, the leaders said that the already set 5 years term limit is sufficient for service delivery.
According to bishop Thagana, the 2010 constitution that adopted the 5 years term limit did not have inaccuracies
“This constitution was made through the participation of all of us, we all contributed, this does not mean the constitution cannot be changed, but it cannot be changed in the area motivated by self-interest.” Bishop Thagana said.
This, as Kenya kwanza leaders have distanced themselves from the bill where while speaking separately in Kapsabet, Nandi county dispelled the suggestion and only recognized the allocated 2 terms of 5 years each.
The Bill further seeks to enhance the powers of the Senate by giving it the exclusive mandate to vet and approve state officers, including cabinet secretaries, the Attorney-General, the director of public prosecutions, the Chief Justice and judges, among others.
It also grants both Houses of Parliament authority to approve the deployment of the Kenya Defence Forces in any part of the country.
The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee led by its chair Hillary Sigei, has retreated to go through loads of submissions from the public participation held last week and file a report before the Bill proceeds to the next stage.
“By next week, I should be able to give the country the feedback. I will need to go through the emails and the committee report and give the way forward,” Sigei said.