Maina Njenga pushes for creation of prime minister post
Former Mungiki sect leader Maina Njenga has vowed to push for a referendum to create positions of the prime minister and two deputies ahead of 2022 General Election.
Mr Njenga said he would use his new outfit, Amani Sasa Foundation, to drum up support for the constitutional reforms.
Before Mungiki group was declared illegal, he had a huge youthful following, mostly in Mt Kenya, Nairobi and Nakuru regions. He said his followers are still intact.
“We want changes in the constitution to increase positions within the Presidency. The changes include re-introduction of the Prime Minister’s seat with two deputies,” Mr Njenga told the Nation.
INCLUSIVITY
In his proposal there will be a minimum of five national leaders drawn from different tribes.
They include the President, Deputy President, Prime Minister and two Deputy Prime Ministers.
But his suggestion has sparked mixed reactions among elected leaders, including senators and members of Parliament.
Murang’a and Meru Senators Irungu Kang’ata and Mithika Linturi, respectively, supported calls for the constitutional change saying it is long overdue.
Mr Kang’ata, who is a lawyer and currently doing a PhD on constitutional reforms, said the change is needed to treat ethnic divisions in the country.
“We need to expand government to have all ethnic groups feel included. In constitutional theory terms, we need a consociation government for all ethnically divided society. Countries like Lebanon and Ireland expanded the executive,” Mr Kang’ata said.
WAGE BILL
But the demerit of expanding the executive, he said, is that it will lead to a weak opposition and an increased wage bill.
Alternatively, the senator called for an amendment to raise the threshold of the minimum votes that a Presidential candidate should garner to be declared the winner.
“Raise the bar from the present 50 per cent plus one to 70 per cent. It is a mechanism that will force candidates to campaign in all parts of the country and not only in their ethnic blocs,” the lawmaker explained.
He however insisted that constitutional and legal experts should be consulted to give their options.
Mr Linturi said there are sections that do not work for Kenya.
“One area that needs to be looked into is how power is shared because the main problem in Kenya is inclusivity. It is about how many people make decisions for the country and whether they have the mandate of the people.”
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