• There have been claims Uhuru s pushing for the creation of a Prime Minister post for his comeback into politics after completing his term.
• But Uhuru insists he does not want to serve in any position after retiring in 2022.
Image: FILE
President Uhuru Kenyatta has maintained that the country is ripe for a referendum to amend the 10-year-old Constitution but denied any plans to extend his stay in power.
In a clear indication that Uhuru is ready to hang his political boots in 2022, the head of state reiterated that he is not interested in serving in any other position, including that of Prime Minister.
There has been disquiet in Deputy William Ruto’s camp that Uhuru secretly plans to team up with Opposition Chief Raila Odinga in a calculated plan to extend his tenure.
But speaking on Thursday, Uhuru said he will leave office in 2022 after completing his second and final five-year term in line with the 2010 Constitution.
“If there is one thing that Kenyans are very clear about, it's the two-term limit of their president. I have not seen any president who has broken that and I don't want to be the first one,” Uhuru said.
Adding, "The Constitution is clear that the President serves for two terms."
Uhuru spoke during a virtual meeting with the Atlantic Council Africa Centre on strengthening US-Africa trade.
Ex-President Mwai Kibaki quietly retired in 2013 and completely exited the political stage.
However, Uhuru has given signals that he could influence his succession, with influential political leaders trooping to his side with the hope of political anointment.
Uhuru has signed a post-election deal with Kanu led by Gideon Moi, Wiper led by Kalonzo Musyoka and Chama Cha Mashinani led by Isaac Rutto.
Raila is one of his closes political allies.
In his speech on Thursday, Uhuru, however, said Kenya is ripe for constitutional change to address challenges bedevilling the country including ethnic animosity and exclusion.
"The primary reason for BBI is to ensure future generations are not going through the kind of things we have seen. We want to make our politics mature and inclusive. We went across the country to collect views of what Kenyans want us to do to address the underlining causes of ethnic tensions," he told the forum.
In a strong pitch for law change, Uhuru said after 10 years, there is need for a review of the Constitution which he said is not cast in stone.
“The Constitution should be able to address people's problems. There are areas we want to be reviewed and that is the meaning of a referendum."
The President, however, maintained that the push to amend the Constitution should not be construed to mean that he is seeking to extend his term or have a position created for him post-2022.
When asked precisely if his push for the constitutional amendment is aimed at establishing the position of PM, Uhuru said, “I have no idea that there is going to be a premiership.”
“This [PM position] has not been a principal issue in the BBI,” he said.
During Madaraka Day celebrations on June 1, Uhuru appeared to be making a strong case for a parliamentary system of government citing inspiration from the country’s founding fathers.
He said Kenyans “must not be afraid of changing this system if it does not serve our present purpose”.
“I am already discerning a constitutional moment. Not a moment to replace the 2010 Constitution but one to improve it…a moment that will right what we got wrong in 2010,” President Kenyatta said during the fete.
“But fundamentally, the constitutional moment I discern is one that will bring an end to senseless cycles of violence we have experienced in every election since 1992… And the one that will deepen our democratic credentials and lead to a much more inclusive society, which, I believe, was the intention of the framers of the 2010 Constitution.”
There have been claims that Uhuru is pushing for the creation of a Prime Minister post for his comeback into politics after completing his term.
Uhuru said the import of the Building Bridges Initiative established with his partner Raila Odinga was to bring an end to the ethnic tensions that have marred the country every election cycle.
He said after the BBI team went around the country collecting views, Kenyans asked that the Constitution be reviewed and its shortcomings fixed.
The BBI task force, which has been working on the implementation matrix of the report, is expected to submit its report by the end of June.
Edited by R.Wamochie