Constitutional ball in wananchi’s court

Public reaction to the Harmonised Draft Constitution is interesting.

The Committee of Experts consulted widely and tried to accommodate views of the majority, but most wananchi are now skeptical that they will pass the draft, which is one of the best so far.

The feeling is that politicians will scuttle the process to cater for their parochial and selfish interests. We seem to have reached a consensus that the only people who have a monopoly of ideas are politicians, especially MPs.

Kenyans no longer think for themselves. They have left this task to politicians. So it is ironical that when experts come up with a sound document, the public has no time to peruse it and make informed choices.

This explains why the 2005 referendum flopped. Wananchi threw away the proposed draft without bothering to read it. Reason? Their tribal chiefs had condemned the document as bad.

It is time Kenyans woke up to the reality that they cannot have their cake and eat it. That means we should not blame politicians for the mess we are in yet we have the power of the vote to decide our destiny.

If we want the nation to move in the right direction, we should shut out politicians’ rants and take responsibility when things go wrong.

Posterity

We should realise that politicians have no time for posterity, especially the current crop of leaders who you cannot trust further than you can throw them.

That is why those who believe they own the presidency want to retain an all-powerful president while those who are enamored by the prime minister’s post desire an equally powerful premier.

These sideshows come at the expense of adopting a system that can best serve the nation.

Systems of governance should not be rammed down wananchi’s throats just because the individuals currently in office belong to a certain tribe or party.

Instead, let us put in place institutions that will effectively serve us and future generations.

Everything now depends on Kenyans. This country’s future is in their hands and they can either make of break it.

Read the draft and understand it. Seek guidance from experts to ensure that all clauses are understood. Only when this is done can we be prepared for the consequences of our decisions.

{Kimani wa Njuguna, Gatundu}