Cherargei under fire amid claims most Kenyans back term limit Bill

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei. [File, Standard] Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei now claims that 60 per cent of Kenyans are in support of his Bill that seeks to extend the term of the President and other elected leaders. But the Nandi legislator has come under fire from some National Assembly members, who have dared to bring the proposal to the floor. Speaking in the Senate, Cherargei said he had received 12,000 texts and 20,000 WhatsApp messages as well as thousands of phone calls in the last one week as Kenyans praised his move while others abused him. He said the Senate email receiving memoranda on the Bill is approaching 500,000 messages, a clear indication that citizens were out to make a contribution on how best they wanted to be led. The senator argued that holding elections after every five years was expensive. But a section of MPs allied to Kenya Kwanza declared that the Bill does have the support of the President or their party. Gichugu MP Gichimu Githinji said Cherargei did not consult the President or even the Speaker of the Senate before coming up with the Bill. "Any proposal to extend term limits from five to seven years should go through a referendum and the country is not ready for that," he said. Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama said the National Assembly would ensure it is defeated since it does not serve the interests of Kenyans who have more pressing issues. Buuri MP Mugambi Rindikiri said Bills should undergo scrutiny before being tabled on the floor so as to avoid such unpopular proposals. "It is very unfortunate that the Cherargei Bill is giving Parliament a bad name that we want to extend our term limit from five to seven years. We are ready to be subjected to scrutiny by our people after every five years," he said. His Mogotio and Igembe North counterparts Reuben Kiborek and Julius Taitumu asked Cherargei to drop the proposal. Trans Nzoia Woman Rep Lillian Siyoi said there were other better Bills in the Senate and National Assembly that deserve priority. Meanwhile, ODM party grassroots leaders have opposed the proposal. Speaking Wednesday after meeting the national leadership at the party headquarters in Nairobi, county chairpersons called on the legislators to shoot down the amendments. "Leaders resolved to oppose the proposed amendment of the Constitution to extend the terms of elected leaders from five to seven years," said Dickson Manyara, ODM Secretary of Council of County Chairpersons. The proposal has faced criticism from Kenyans and leaders alike. In the Bill, Cherargei further proposes the creation of the Office of the Prime Minister and if it passes, will also grant the Senate the power to vet Cabinet Secretaries, among other State officials. Two-thirds of lawmakers will be required to pass the contentious constitutional amendment. The Orange party meeting also announced plans to hold grassroots elections next month. Manyara said this follows a communication from the National Elections Coordinating Committee. "The board will be releasing a formal schedule of the exercise across the country on or before 4th of November," said Manyara. The meeting also saw the Kwale County grassroots elections, scheduled for Monday, postponed indefinitely. The party leadership further directed MPs to ensure there is no "claw back to devolution and specifically resist any attempt to reduce shareable allocation of revenue to counties." "We resolved to retain the ideologies of the party as independent opposition political party founded on the values of social justice, devolution being the pillar."

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