President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday sought to dismantle “myths” they said are being peddled by opponents of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Mr Odinga said an ombudsman appointed by the president would not interfere with the independence of the Judiciary.
He said the Judiciary would not be held to account of the ombudsman is appointed by the chief justice.
During the launch of the BBI signature collection campaign at Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Mr Odinga said the report does not propose the creating of an imperial presidency.
“Kenyans have been victims of the imperial presidency but read the report and tell us where it is creating such an institution,” he said.
He added that accountability would be promoted with the prime minister sitting in the National Assembly.
Mr Odinga said appointing cabinet secretaries from MPs would facilitate prompt answering of questions at the House.
“This will make cabinet secretaries more accountable than it is now when they can only appear before committees,” he said.
He added that the Judiciary ombudsman will be competitively recruited by a panel and vetted by the National Assembly.
Mr Odinga said appointing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioner top officials by political parties is transparent as it would ensuring the autonomy of the agency.
He said the last transparent elections the country had was in 2002 when the then Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) was composed of people appointed by the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group (IPPG) that comprised Kanu, DP, Ford Kenya, Ford Asili and Safina.
“Some have said the document does not address issues of common people. Some matters raised cannot be put in the Constitution,” Mr Odinga said.
President Kenyatta said the document addresses gender parity “since it promotes women representation at all levels”.
“Fifty per cent of senators will be women. This means they will be in charge of determining how we spend 35 per cent of the resources available,” Mr Kenyatta said.
“There is a new mechanism for ensuring greater and meaningful participation of women in the National Assembly. We are doing this while retaining the affirmative orientation in appointive positions, which has been instrumental in placing women in high government positions.”
“The referendum bill considers this point and proposes an increase of money to counties. It creates a Ward Development Fund that will be a game-changer as the government will take money directly to the grassroots,” the President said.
He added that BBI will ensure the country has a stronger Senate that will oversee county spending more robustly.
“The document requires county assemblies and the Senate to ensure greater accountability of the increased devolved funds,” President Kenyatta said.
“To ensure every Kenyan enjoys the democracy that the 2010 Constitution promises, the bill cures under-representation and introduces a better approach for sharing resources.”
“Even with the signature campaign, there is chance of a consensus for a referendum that will give Kenyans an opportunity to express themselves without an ‘us’ vs ‘them’, ‘win’ vs ‘lose’ contest. Unity is the strength needed to fight covid-19 and organise the economy,” he tweeted.
