As the country awaits the Appeal Court ruling on BBI, a Kirinyaga MP has praised constitutional amendments through Parliament for saving time and money.
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirichi said on Saturday, the Bill sponsored by Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni will also spare the country unnecessary political pressure and division.
She spoke in Mwea, Kirinyaga county.
The Kioni Bill, which has undergone the first reading, seeks to incorporate some legislators in the Executive. MPs could be appointed Cabinet Secretaries. MCAs could be appointed members of the county executive.
Ngirichi said those opposed to BBI have all along pushed for amendments through Parliament. Pro-BBI forces have insisted that constitutional amendments be carried out through a referendum.
Parliament would not be able to create the posts of prime minister and two deputies—posts that could be used as inducements before the general election. They would require a referendum.
However, Ngirichi said a referendum should only be undertaken during or after 2024 as the political temperature of the 2022 general election will have cooled.
She said the 2022 general election should be carried out under the Constitution; otherwise, a constitutional crisis might result from postponement.
“The Constitution should be followed to the letter. We can’t afford to change next year’s election even by a day as the law directs that elections ought to be carried out every five years,” Ngirichi said.
She also called on Kenyans to actively participate in public hearings on the proposed amendments so their views will be factored into the Bill.
(Edited by V. Graham)
