No need to extend leaders’ term limits

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has tabled a Bill in the Senate seeking to amend the Constitution to increase the term of all elective political offices from five to seven years.

Many Kenyans have expressed their views on the senator's Bill, as the proposal to increase presidential term limits in Kenya could undermine the democratic gains made over the years. In a democratic country like Kenya, leadership, governance and laws must be protected, respected and upheld.

The Bill also seeks to create the offices of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Official Opposition and increase county revenue allocations.

On the other hand, Kiambu Senator Karugo Thang'wa has proposed to reduce the presidential term limit to four years just like the USA.

These divergent views of the two legislators need to be properly scrutinised. This is not the right time for a referendum in Kenya. It is not long since Kenya held general elections, the 2019 census and the Huduma Number registration. All these processes have consumed a lot of funds from the national budget.

For Kenya to achieve economic prosperity, we need good governance, and not amending the Constitution to increase the term limits. At independence, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta vowed to fight three major problems - ignorance, poverty and disease. In post-independence Kenya, there are many other challenges, including tribalism, corruption, unemployment and economic hardship.

The ruling party, the United Democratic Alliance Party, had earlier distanced itself from this proposal. President William Ruto has also rejected this proposal to extend term limits.

Kenyans should reject the proposal to extend term limits.

Mildred Evans, Bungoma

The Senate on Friday received an overwhelming 200,000 submissions from the public on the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024. This massive response, which caused technical problems due to the sheer volume, demonstrates a significant shift in Kenyans' engagement with their constitutional rights and governance.

The Bill covers critical areas such as the electoral system and the independence of the Judiciary. This wave of public engagement reflects a new level of awareness across the country.

This surge in participation also comes after previous instances where Parliament appeared unresponsive to public opinion, notably the 2024 Finance Bill.

This wave of engagement could mark a new era for Kenyan democracy, as citizens move from observers to active participants in governance. The question now is whether the Senate will honour this public sentiment or follow the pattern seen with the Finance Bill. Kenyans will be watching closely.

Ayub Njuguna, Nakuru