Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has said time is ripe to review the 2010 Constitution but insisted that a non-contested referendum would be the best approach.
The former Vice-President says his position about the way forward in amending the supreme law of the land is that the move must not trigger divisions among Kenyans.
“As I said in 2010, I preferred and I still prefer a non-contested referendum if we have to review this constitution the way we are going,” Kalonzo said in an interview with Citizen TV on Friday night.
The Wiper boss regretted that ‘in a hurry by people’ to get the 2010 Constitution Kenyans failed to listen other views, which he said could have strengthened the document.
Kalonzo said those who branded him a ‘watermelon’ during the lead up to the heated referendum in 2010, failed to appreciate his reservations which he said have now come to pass.
He said the ‘Watermelon tag’, was fashioned by his rivals who wanted to capitalise on his neutral position on the Constitutional review push to undermine his political future.
“Those against me came out guns blazing and that is what they did and gave me the tag. The tag was given to me by my friend Raila Odinga but when I ran as deputy president twice in 2013 and 2017 I did not hear the Watermelon,” the Wiper boss said.
Kalonzo warned against falling into the same pitfalls by rushing for a referendum without listening to others to build consensus on key issues.
“With the hurry, we ended up creating the office of Cabinet secretaries with no deputies forcing the president now years down the line to create non-existent posts of Chief Administrative secretaries,” Kalonzo said.
The ex-VP said if political players could have taken time in 2010 to listen to others like him and the church, then they could easily have delivered a perfect document for Kenyans.
“Had we listened to me and others who had issues, we could not have ended up with the most expensive structure of governance in the country with 47 mini-president called governors,” Kalonzo said.
Kalonzo suggested that Kenyans should think of 2010 Constitution Day, to celebrate the promulgation of the document.
Regarding the fight against corruption, Kalonzo said the President’s 21-day ultimatum for investigative agencies to conclude the Covid-19 scandal probe at Kemsa should cover counties as well.
On whether there is sufficient political goodwill to nail well connected politicians in the Covid-19 heist, Kalonzo said the President has the capacity to take the bull by its horns.
“This is a low-lying fruit for President Uhuru Kenyatta as a lasting legacy when Kenyans will remember for generations,” he said.
He said Wiper entered into a cooperation pact with Jubilee because they were convinced that the President is committed in the fight against corruption.