•Aukot's bill dealt a blow as Kalonzo's Wiper party rejects it
•The party also announced picking Chirau Aki Mwakwere as its national chairman
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Politician Ekuru Aukot’s push for constitutional change has suffered a setback after Wiper Democratic Movement-Kenya party joined Raila Odinga’s ODM in opposing the bid.
This even as the Kalonzo Musyoka-led party announced picking Chirau Ali Mwakwere to replace Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana as the acting national chairman.
Anne Kanyi was elected as acting national vice-person.
The party made the decision after a three-day strategy meeting at of the National Executive Council held at the Kenya School of Law in Nairobi targeted at revamping the outfit ahead of the 2022 polls.
In a statement signed by Mwakwere, the party said opposes the Punguza Mizigo Bill for lack of public participation and urged all county assemblies to also reject it.
The Bill proposes a raft of changes to the country's supreme law - the Constitution.
Mwakwere urged the assemblies to exercise caution and ensure that there is public participation before debating and voting on the Bill.
The party, however, declared the Building Bridges Initiative team which is currently traversing the county collecting the views of Kenyans on how to unite the country.
“WDM-K supports efforts to reform the Constitution and reiterates its unequivocal support for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which is nearing conclusion of its work. We, however, propose that the BBI should culminate in a Parliamentary-initiative-driven Referendum in the next 60 days,” Mwakwere said,
The acting chairman reiterated Aukot’s Bill claws back on the gains of the 2010 Constitution concerning equitable representation at both County and Constituency levels by drastically reducing the number of elected representatives.
“The Bill, in its current form, is poison offered in a golden chalice because, though it purports to offer a panacea to the high cost of running Government,” Mwakwere said.
“But, more worrisome is the fact that Punguza Mzigo takes away from women, the youth and people with disabilities their right to equitable representation,” he said.
WDM-K party decision comes only days after ODM directed all assemblies under its armpit to reject the Bill and instead wait for the one that will be proposed by the BBI team.
The party elected Mwakwere and Kanyi to lead its reform agenda as it prepares to mount a challenge for the country’s top seat. Wiper will embark on a mass membership registration exercise in the next one month.
Mwakwere also reiterated that the party fully support the President and investigative agencies in their efforts to fight corruption.
“WDM-K condemns all acts of corruption in counties and urges the DCI and DPP to move with speed to bring to book all persons who may have engaged in corruption in the counties,” he said.