Kenyans should base law review on common good, not narrow interests

NAIROBI: Despite being overshadowed by the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam results and the charging of high-profile Anglo Leasing suspects in court, the proposed bid to change the date of the next elections was a key news item  this week. You see, the 2010 Constitution places the date of the 2017 polls in August. But the legislators, perhaps keen to extend their tenure by a few months, almost unanimously agreed on the extension of the date. The reason given was that Kenyans have for the longest time voted in December. Plus there was that argument that having elections in August (can you beat that?) would disrupt the school calendar. Some even suggested the date could be pushed to December by a two-thirds majority.

That was until the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution stepped in and said, nonsense, you can only move the date through a referendum. There was also the small matter of the current Independent Electoral Commission team, whose tenure ends after the August date. Trouble is, the opposition wants the team kicked out before the next polls, at which point Jubilee and CORD parted ways.