Residents of Murang'a county have expressed diverse opinions over the constitutional amendments proposed by the Thirdway Alliance party of Ekuru Aukot.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission confirmed that the push for amendments by Punguza Mizigo initiative has met the threshold with 1,222,541 registered voters signing in support.
The Bill will be submitted to the 47 counties within three months.
Some of the proposals in the Bill include reduction in the number of MPs, scrapping woman representative and deputy governor positions and one seven-year term for president.
Maurine Mwangi, a student at Murang’a University, said that she fully supports amendment of the Constitution.
“Women representatives do nothing in Parliament while deputy governors are always criticizing governors, leading to undeveloped counties,” Wangari said.
Joseph Karanja, a boda boda rider in Murang’a town, was uncomfortable with the proposal of a seven-year single term for president saying it was too long and should instead be reduced.
“The money used to pay Members of Parliament should be used for development,” Karanja said
Some residents suspect the Bill will be used for individual political gain.
Christine Kamau, a small scale trader, scrapping of the woman representative seat will be fighting against women and weakening them politically.
“Our woman representative is doing a lot of work under the program of National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and many people have benefited from the program where she has been giving out umbrellas, tanks and chickens to groups of women, schools and farmers,” Njeri said.
