Dr. Kinity Slams Presidential Term Extension Bill, Calls for National Referendum
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The ongoing public participation on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) No. 2 Bill, 2024 has sparked widespread criticism, with several stakeholders, including governance experts and political analysts, calling for a national referendum to determine the future of presidential term limits.
The Bill, which was first tabled in the Senate on September 26, 2024, proposes several key changes, including extending the presidential term from five years to seven years and altering the term limits for Members of Parliament and County Assembly members. The public participation process is set to end on October 25, 2024.
Among those voicing opposition to the Bill is Dr. Isaac Newton Kinity, an outspoken advocate for democratic reforms. Dr. Kinity has called for the dismissal of the Bill, stating that any decision regarding the extension of presidential terms should be left to Kenyans in a referendum, not to Parliament alone.
In a statement, Dr. Kinity expressed his concerns:
“The current bill in parliament that is designed to extend the period of the term limit of the president should be dismissed unconditionally. There should be a national referendum for Kenyans to determine whether or not the current terms of presidential limits should be extended. This should have been done way before the bill was tabled in Parliament.”
Dr. Kinity further criticized the October 25 deadline for submitting public views as inadequate and unfair to the Kenyan public. He described the process as unconstitutional and demanded that it be declared null and void.
Other critics have raised concerns over the Bill’s impact on governance, arguing that extending the presidential term and increasing control over revenue allocation to county governments may centralize power, contrary to the principles of devolution.
The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to amend the Constitution in several areas, including the introduction of a seven-year presidential term, enhanced Senate involvement in county expenditure, and changes to the origination of legislative bills between the Senate and the National Assembly.
The Senate Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs, and Human Rights, which is facilitating the public participation, has called for the submission of memoranda before the October 25 deadline, after which it will review the submissions and prepare a report for the Senate.
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