No term extension for President, Senate says after social media buzz

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi. [File, Standard]

The Senate has dismissed reports of planned amendment of the Constitution to extend the presidential term limit from five to seven years.

The Senate’s denial was triggered by a buzz on social media following reports that the controversial Kenya Amendment (No.2) Bill 2024, sponsored by Senator Samson Cherakey, had been clandestinely revived to extend terms of all elected leaders from five to seven years.

In a statement, the Senate termed the allegations as incorrect, adding that a review of the official Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025, shows that the claims being made are false.

According to the Senate, the facts based on the contents of the Bill are that it does not extend term limit, adding that nowhere in the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is there any proposal to extend the terms of office for the President, Governors, MPs, or MCAs from five to seven years.

“The Bill does not amend the articles of the Constitution that deal with term limits for these elective positions,” the Senate explained.

It has also said the Bill does not create a Prime Minister’s position and makes no mention of creating the such an office or any other new position within the Executive branch and that the proposed amendments do not alter the existing structure of the national executive.

According to the Senate’s explainer, the bill’s primary objective is to strengthen devolution and the role of the Senate. Its main proposals, the Senate said, are to enhance bicameralism by making the Senate a co-equal to the National Assembly and requiring that most bills be considered and passed by both houses.

It also seeks to strengthen Senate’s financial oversight to give the Senate a direct role in the national budget-making process and in the approval of key state officers like the Controller of Budget and Auditor-General.

Another proposal in the Bill is to protect County Assemblies by establishing a constitutionally protected County Assembly Fund to ensure financial independence for county legislatures.

“It’s crucial to read and verify information before sharing. This Bill focuses on fixing procedural issues in Parliament to better support county governments, not on altering term limits or the structure of the executive,” the Senate said.

Separately, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah explained that Kenyans need not be alarmed by the good-as-dead the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, sponsored by Cherarkey.

“The Senate’s Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, where I am a member, conducted a thorough review of the Bill, and after careful consideration, the Committee unanimously recommended that the Senate rejects the Bill in its entirety, and advised the sponsor to withdraw it, but he declined,” he said, on X.