The country is edging closer to a Constitution referendum as the Building Bridges Initiative team continues to receive substantial proposals on what ought to be changed in the country’s supreme law.
Key individuals and organizations appeared before the committee on Wednesday, January 30, and presented wide-ranging suggestions; top among them the need to depart from the presidential system where the winner takes it all.
Raila’s treason attempt was blessing in disguise Many also expressed the need to hold a referendum to create an expanded Executive in which the presidential powers and privileges will be shared.
Many also expressed the need to hold a referendum to create an expanded Executive in which the presidential powers and privileges will be shared.
In its presentation, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said it wants the wealth declaration forms from public officers be submitted to the commission and not the Public Service Commission (PSC). Commission’s Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak said submitting the forms to the PSC made no sense as the individuals were not being scrutinised since the commission has no powers to do so.
@EACCKenya CEO Twalib Mbarak making submissions on behalf of the Commission to the Building Bridges to Unity Advisory Taskforce. pic.twitter.com/nyGq6sBgyP
— EACC (@EACCKenya) January 30, 2019
In its submission, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) emphasized on the need to introduce a hybrid system that will overhaul the Executive structure and create an executive prime ministerial post with two deputies as a way of sharing power and ensuring ethnic inclusivity.
“This will arguably enhance national stability by expanding tribal and regional representation in the Executive arm.
Under this arrangement, election rigging will be a thing of the past as a whittled-down presidency would no longer be so attractive,” said Wilson Sossion, the union’s Secretary General Sossion told the committee that given the country’s regional divisions based on ethnic groupings, the country needs a new constitutional dispensation that dismantles completely the concentration of powers in the presidency, and disperse it to other offices.
On his part, Auditor General Edward Ouko said there should be a distinction between the head of state and head of government.
“The head of sate, the president, will then be delinked from the daily operations of the government and ceases to be an auditee,” he submitted.
Ouko said this will ensure the head of state also plays the oversight role by demanding accountability based on the auditor general’s report. He told the committee that a head of state with less work will assure checks and balances anticipated in the Constitution between the Executive and Legislature and be the protector of independence of the Office and other similar offices.
Ouko said this will ensure head of state also plays the oversight role by demanding accountability based on the auditor general’s report. Photo: UGC
On its part, National Council of Elders called for end to the coronation of politicians as tribal kingpins during election time as this contributed to profiling of ethics communities to belong to a certain candidate.
