No kind words for Raila, Kibaki

by Beauttah Omanga

President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga lack commitment in implementing reforms, the National Council of Churches of Kenya has reiterated.

NCCK accused the principals of failing in rebuilding the country after the 2007 clashes that polarised it.

The council said the two leaders were not sincere in seeing the full implementation of reforms through the five ceasefire commissions established under the National Accord.

In a statement to the Press by NCCK General Secretary Canon Peter Karanja, the council said many had lost hope in any meaningful reforms to shield them from election violence, forcing them to start arming themselves.

"Kenyans are feeling insecure and thus stocking weapons," read the statement.

NCCK said it doubted the possibility of the country getting a new constitution before the next General Election and instead advocated what they termed " stabilisation reforms".

Karanja challenged the Government to investigate reports that communities were arming themselves.

To cushion the country from sliding again to anarchy, NCCK called for urgent reforms in key sectors.

NCCK said chances of the political class sabotaging the constitution-making process were high and censured the Coalition Government for failing to live up to expectations.

"The Coalition Government continues to exhibit pathological disregard to the will of Kenyans. This continues to create dissatisfaction among wananchi," read the terse statement.

urgent reforms

NCCK said there was no real power sharing in the Coalition Government and that those in leadership "are merely using their positions to campaign for the 2012 election".

Some of the urgent reforms suggested include an increase of the threshold for electing a president from the current simple majority to 50-plus-one vote of those cast and the date of the election of the president be fixed in the Constitution to be first Tuesday of December in the fifth year of each parliamentary term.

 

 

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