By Jerry Okungu
Nairobi, Kenya
December 6 2011
It can no longer be assumed that amending the election date was a carefully one off decision made by the cabinet after considering the interests of Kenyans and the state.
Mheshimiwa Kioni’s proposed amendment the scuttle the Senate in its infancy has let the cat out of the bag. Yes, there is a wider scheme to dismember the new constitution in its infancy just like the Lancaster House document was dismembered. And MP Kioni had better be reminded of who was wholly responsible for destroying the first constitution. If he has chosen to forget; Kenyans are yet to forget.
Two weeks ago in this column, I warned Kenyans that once they allow Parliament to get away with its first amendment even before the document is implemented, what will follow will shock Kenyans- especially those who ideally fought tooth and nail and campaigned day and night to give Kenya a new constitution. Once this Parliament gets away with it the first time, it will start behaving like the jackal that has tasted blood. It will want more and more. Those who fought against the constitution at the referendum will have a field day. They will want to amend every clause that they do not fancy at whim.
During the thirty year campaign for reforms in this country, the likes of Kioni were busy minding their businesses in their villages. They never raised a finger about the excesses of the past regime; they took refuge in their churches and mosques claiming that politics was a dirty game that they could not soil their hands in. If indeed he took part in any liberation struggle even as a student leader at some local polytechnic, Kenyans would have heard of him. His kind waited for the kill to be done and have now come to partake of the spoils.
Last year when Kenyans were ready to vote for the new constitution, many wolves in sheep’s clothes pretended to be Green fighting for the constitution; when in fact they were in the Red camp campaigning at night to defeat the same constitution so that it would be business as usual for many years to come. These are the same people Kenyans referred to as water melons. These are the same people who kept on talking about the irrelevance of the Senate, the counties and commissions.
These are the same people who did not want the Parliamentary Budget Committee get powers to participate in the annual budget preparation. They are the same people who have been resisting devolving funds to the counties. They want to continue centralizing government operations so that they can disenfranchise the rest of the countries. In a nutshell, they do not want to share power in the belief that they will always be in power.
At least William Ruto and his brigade were open in their intentions. They teamed up with some churches and openly campaigned against the constitution and lost. Since they lost, they have come to terms with the fact and accepted the new changes that the new constitution is bringing. However, the likes of Kioni who cheated President Kibaki that they supported him in giving Kenyans are new constitution are now coming out in their true colours in the knowledge that President Kibaki will no longer call the shots in Central Province.
This constitution was passed by an overwhelming majority in all parts of the country. Even in the North Rift which was the heart beat of the opposition against the document, at least 40% of the votes casts were for the new constitution. The same Kenyans that voted overwhelmingly for it must now stand up and defend it. They must stand solidly behind Charles Nyachae the CIC Chairman to stop these renegade MPs from destroying our document in its infancy
0 comments:
Post a Comment