House adopts names of law review experts’ team

Parliament has adopted the nine names of a committee of experts on constitutional review.

Members also endorsed Dr Ekuru Aukot as the director of the Committee, which will play a crucial role in steering the constitutional review.

The appointment of Abdirashid Abdullahi Hussein was also upheld. The appointment of the two had raised eyebrows, with claims that Aukot was a public servant and Abdirashid had been appointed to serve in a tribunal to review MPs’ salaries.

Gazzette committee

Yesterday, Chairman of Parliament’s Justice and Constititutional Affairs Committee Abdikadir Mohammed said his team had cleared the two.

When the Ministry of Education confirmed Aukot was not a university lecturer, Abdirashid had since resigned from the tribunal.

Abdikadir will present the list to Justice Minister Martha Karua today or tomorrow. She will forward it to President Kibaki, who should appoint them in consultation with Prime Minister Raila Odinga within 14 days after receipt.

The President should gazette the committee within seven days of its appointment, according to the Constitution of Kenya (Review) Act 2008.

Seven days after the appointment, the Justice minister should convene the committee’s first meeting to elect its chairperson.

In April, the Attorney General will introduce a schedule to the Act, to enable a window for public participation in the experts’ writing of a new charter, based on the condensation of the Bomas and Kilifi drafts, besides other documents and reports made by the defunct Constitution of Kenya Review Commission, the Bethuel Kiplagat report, etc.

The list includes three foreigners who were proposed by the Panel of Eminet African Personalities, led by Chief Mediator Kofi Annan. They are Prof Christina Murray (South Africa), Dr Chaloka Beyani (Zambia) and Frederick Ssempembwa (Uganda).

The local experts are Njoki Ndung’u, Atsango Chesoni, Otiende Amolo, Nzamba Kitonga, Abdirashid Hussein and Bobby Mkangi.

Abdirashid, the only non-lawyer in the committee, is a historian and scholar in conflict management from Kenyatta and Warwick universities, according to his resume.

Extreme positions

The director is the chief executive, accounting officer and administrator of the committee’s secretariat.

Abdikadir urged politicians to eschew public articulation of extreme positions on contentious issues, to avoid compromising a committee hailed by Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i, ODM) as non-partisan and competent.

—Stories by David Ochami, Peter Opiyo and Alex Ndegwa