Two former presidential aspirants have joined the campaign for a national referendum to amend the constitution by popular initiative.
Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and her National Congress counterpart Peter Kenneth pulled a surprise by supporting the referendum, a brainchild of the opposition.
Cord has also brought on board key institutions and personalities with reputations of advocating for constitutional reforms.
“The referendum train has taken off. It is an idea whose time has come,” former Premier Raila Odinga declared after the launch of the million signature hunt at the historic Ufungamano House in Nairobi, where opposition leaders first met in the early 1990s to strategise and give statements.
Others who have joined the referendum push, dubbed Okoa Kenya, include former Cabinet secretary and head of Civil Service Richard Leaky, former anti-corruption boss John Githongo and political scientist Adams Oloo.
Dr Leaky, the world-renowned palaeontologist, is also reputed for restoring a measure of integrity in the Civil Service and earning the confidence of international donors in the late 1990s during President Moi’s tenure.
Speaking at the launch of the Okoa Kenya signature drive, Karua warned Jubilee that they could no longer ignore Kenyans and annihilate the constitution.
“My view is that a referendum is a tool given to us by the constitution to tell the government that they cannot ignore Kenyans,” Karua said, amid applause, “I am here to ensure that the promise of the constitution to Kenyans is delivered.”
Karua also said that she was consulting her party to take a common stand on the referendum.
Peter Kenneth, who was represented by his former running mate Ronnie Osumba, dismissed claims that a referendum was an expensive process.
“A call for a national referendum is not necessarily a political process but a civil liberty and we must protect civil liberty as enshrined in our constitution,” Osumba said. “The argument that it’s too expensive or it is a process of political pursuit should not be entertained. No cost is higher than the denial of civil liberties,” he said. Osumba declared that the Kenya National Congress had chosen to be part of the referendum process.
It also emerged that Cord has expanded the Committee of Experts to steer the referendum campaign and brought on board two more lawyers, Mary Kakuvi Mutuku and Anthony Oluoch, replacing Kethi Kilonzo. Committee member Beatrice Kituyi disclosed that they were already drafting a bill on the six-point agenda they had identified.
The agenda on which the amendment initiative will be formulated includes devolution, land reforms, electoral reforms, national inclusion and equality, fighting corruption and enhancing security.
“On the issue of land reforms, we are looking at how to strengthen the National Land Commission so that it can play its role,” Kituyi said.
Governors have also announced that they are drafting a bill to be subjected to a public vote so as to protect devolution's gains.
However, Raila and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka have expressed optimism that the governors will join them to formulate a unified referendum question.
Kalonzo said that Kenyans' response to the exercise was overwhelming, saying Cord is targeting a five million signatures petition.
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