“The attempt to licence party hopping is intended to give a new lease of life to the political indiscipline which the Constitution had stopped through Section 103 and through the Political Parties Act Section 14,” said the PM.
“My position is that neither the Executive, nor our citizens should allow these maneuvers to subvert the will of the Kenyan nation,” he said.
Parliament he said can do Kenyans a great service by looking at integrity of leaders to be elected into office.
“We should all hope that the intended leadership and Integrity Bill will genuinely attend to this issue which is more critical than the issue of university degree,” said Raila.
About 80 MPs are said to lack the qualification and they risk being locked out come the General election if the requirement stands. Some MPs have petitioned the President to decline assent to the Bill.
And about 70 NGOs also petitioned Parliament to consider the amendments to the Political Parties Act, Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Act and the Elections Act, saying they were not in tandem with the principles of the Constitution.
Led by Chairperson of the Kenya Human Rights Commission Atsango Chesoni, they presented the petition to the Office of the President and called for immediate action to reverse the amendments.
“We are concerned that the amendments do not reflect the principles of the Constitution,” read the petition.
They said the amendments that allow Presidential candidates and deputy presidential candidates to be nominated contravene the principles of the Constitution.
They also opposed the amendment to the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Act that allow the Judicial Service Commission to vet magistrates, saying it unconstitutionally donate powers of the Vetting of Judges and Magistrates Board to the Commission.
While in Russia, Raila said he sealed deal with President Vladimir Putin to pursue a Bilateral Air Traffic Agreement that will allow Kenya Airways and Aeroflot of Russia to fly directly to Moscow and Nairobi respectively.
