Respect multipartyism, lawyer Kipkorir tells 'rebel' MPs

"Kenya is a multi-party democracy by its Constitution and must respect all its Institutions."

In Summary

• Kenya became a multiparty state in 1992 following the repeal of Section 2(a) of the Constitution.

• It followed years of agitation by opposition leaders who felt the Kanu regime had became authoritarian under the one party system.

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir at Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi.
Lawyer Donald Kipkorir at Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi.
Image: FILE

Lawyer Donald Kipkorir has weighed in on the meetings President William Ruto has been holding with opposition MPs at State House.

The President on Tuesday met nine ODM MPs and 32 Jubilee MPs on Wednesday in what some ODM MPs said was a follow-up on development projects.

But Kipkorir said the apparent dalliance of the opposition with the government of the day goes against the spirit of multi-party democracy as envisioned in the constitution. 

"Kenya is a multi-party democracy by its Constitution and must respect all its Institutions to build a political culture for the ages," he said.

"After elections, the President is the President for all Kenyans, but Governors, MPs and Senators ought to respect multipartyism structures."

Kenya became a multiparty state in 1992 following the repeal of Section 2(a) of the Constitution.

It followed years of agitation by opposition leaders who felt the Kanu regime had become authoritarian under the one-party system.

During his meeting with Jubilee MPs on Wednesday, Ruto said the meeting resolved to prioritise finding solutions to the urgent challenges facing the country.

"Working together ensures the needs of the people are the number one priority in the development discourse of our nation," he said.

But opposition leaders and observers have viewed it as a strategy to silence an opposition that is increasingly becoming critical of his government.

They feel he is leading the country back to the authoritarian one-party state.

WATCH: The latest videos from the Star