Kenya: The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the country has asked political leaders pushing for a referendum to educate the public on the objectives of the vote.
Cardinal John Njue has said most Kenyans do not understand the reasons for the push for a referendum and required civic education on what the political leaders were seeking to change through the referendum process.
He noted that the campaigns for a referendum were causing differences between political leaders yet the agenda and reason for the referendum itself were still unclear in the minds of Kenyans.
"Kenyans do not understand what the referendum is about and it is up to leaders to explain the reasons they are calling for it so that voters can make a decision," Njue said.
He noted that political leaders should also find alternatives to the referendum process to address the concerns they have raised such as insecurity and corruption.
"For instance, if politicians want to tackle insecurity, there is no need for a referendum, they should use the existing mechanisms such as amendments to existing laws to tackle insecurity," Njue said.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
He said the current structures and institutions were adequate to tackle the issues of insecurity in the country.
"In the case of corruption, this vice can be also be tackled by amendments to the Constitution or the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) rather than putting the country through a referendum," Njue said.
Njue said Kenyans were not in a position to embrace the referendum campaigns as it was just over a year since they voted in the Jubilee Government.
"We cannot be in campaigns every year. If there is a way to avoid a referendum, the politicians behind the move should seek the alternatives before dragging the nation through the process," Njue said.
There have been calls from various leaders across the political divide for a referendum to introduce changes to the supreme law.
The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) in conjunction with several civil society groups and other politicians are collecting signatures for their version of the referendum under the Okoa Kenya banner.
Among the issues the Okoa Kenya group says it wants corrected are the escalating cost of living, insecurity, bias in appointments in the public service, higher budgetary allocations to counties and corruption in Government.
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PESA MASHINANI
Governors are also pushing for a separate referendum aimed exclusively at having a larger percentage of the national revenue allocated to counties.
Under the Pesa Mashinani slogan, the county bosses have also began collecting signatures for the plebiscite.
The Catholic head was speaking during the funeral of Father Hillary Wambugu who was former principal of Nyeri High school at Consolata Mathari Mission in Nyeri County .
Deputy Secretary General of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa Reverend Thegu Mutahi has also urged political leaders to show tolerance and maturity while expressing divergent political opinions.
"They are sending the wrong message to children when they quarrel loudly in public. Our children might think it is cool to squabble loudly in public," Mutahi said.
He was speaking at the 50-year anniversary of Tumutumu High School in Karatina, Nyeri County over the weekend.
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