Lamu leaders have sharply expressed their disapproval for the Punguza Mizigo initiative being fronted by Third Way Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot.
Addressing journalists in Lamu town on Thursday, Lamu East MP Athman Shariff, Women rap Ruweida Obbo and a section of MCAs termed the initiative as utterly useless and selfish and one that is designed to take Kenya back to the dark ages.
Shariff said those agitating for the initiative were busybodies pursuing personal interests.
The legislator asked those in support of the initiative to respect the Constitution.
He said reducing the number of MPs and cutting down on salaries was irrelevant "as long as Kenya didn’t know how to properly put the available resources to good use".
He advised, instead, that the country addresses corruption which is "our biggest undoing".
“Reducing the number of MPs will equal denying those constituents leadership and representation,” Shariff said.
Obbo said she wouldn’t support any initiative that seeks to scrap her position and that of her counterparts in the country.
She said the initiative was ill-timed and that those pushing for it have sinister motives, especially for female leaders.
She urged Third Way Alliance members to join hands with the government.
“Is it a crime that for once we have a Constitution that gives women leadership positions in counties? Many motions on gender balance rarely make it because women leaders are few,” the woman rep said.
Nominated Lamu MCA Salim Busaidy said the initiative had been purposefully tailored to frustrate women and the youth in as far as leadership and representation goes.
“What will be the relevance of devolution then? What happens to the mwananchi back at the grassroots now that leadership will have been cut down?” Busaidy asked.
Hongwe MCA James Komu, however, expressed support for Punguza Mizigo saying it would save Kenyans the backache of having to pay hefty salaries and allowances for unnecessary leaders.
The initiative seeks to reduce the number of MPs, abolish woman representative and deputy governor positions.
It’s also pushing for the reduction in the cost of running Parliament from current Sh36.8 billion to Sh5 billion annually, a move that will in effect save the taxpayer close to Sh31 billion annually.
Further, the initiative seeks to address overrepresentation by reducing the number of MPs from the current 416 to 147.
It also proposes a single seven-year term for the President down from the two five-year terms.
To address gender inequality, it proposes that Kenyans elect one man and woman from each of the 47 counties into the National Assembly.
It also wants to abolish nominations to the county assemblies and Senate.
The party proposes the Senate to be the upper house with veto powers and an increase in county revenue share to 35 per cent from the current 15 per cent.
Edited by R.Wamochie
