Call for minimum reforms ill advised
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By Phitalis Were Masakhwe Each time Kenya edges closer to a new constitution, some mischievous ideologues emerge to create bottlenecks. The latest include calls for minimum reforms as opposed to comprehensive constitutional review by the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK). But Kenyans must be smarter to dismiss the calls as selfish. When I joined NCCK for a part-time job as a civic education facilitator in 1993, it used to demonise the Moi regime during its push for a new constitution. It, then, beats logic to hear my former employer, close to two decades down the line, call for postponement of comprehensive constitutional review. NCCK and other like-minded individuals and groups should stop advocating minimum reforms for self-interests but do something likely to bring the new document for the national good. However, Kenyans living with disabilities and other minorities cannot back calls for minimum reforms for various reasons. The 1997 Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group calls for minimum reforms left many crucial issues. It basically focused on the whims of small, dominant political elite. Deliberately left out Issues of the expanded Bill of Rights of the majority, equity in political representation and resource distribution, consideration of Muslim and pastoralist communities as a minority groups, and issues of gender, disability, youth and other minority groups’ dimension in political and governance were deliberately left out. A new constitution is supposed to be all encompassing. It should delicately balance the needs, wishes and aspirations of the majority and not just a few individuals and groups. Argument that Kenya may not get a new constitution by 2012 cannot justify calls for minimal reforms. One wonders what would happen if the new constitution takes on board the concerns of disabled, youth, women and other historically marginalised groups as an important yardstick in political representation and management of public affairs? Suppose it calls for creation of special interest group constituencies or electoral colleges as a mechanism to right historical injustices and marginalisation? Kenyans with disability should join hands with advocates for comprehensive reforms such as the Central Organisation of Trade Union. A new constitution should not serve political exigencies of the presidency, premiership and their parties or any religious sect, but ordinary Kenyans, today and for posterity. Let Kenyans ignore obstructionist calls for minimum reforms and go for a full loaf. —The writer (mphitalis@gmail.com) is a commentator on Disability and Governance issues.