Jubilee MPs want counties reduced to ten in referendum

Boresha Katiba Chairman Asman Kamama (left) and the initiative’s co-ordinator Kabando wa Kabando [PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO/standard]

Some Jubilee coalition MPs are pushing for counties to be reduced from 47 to 10 to manage the country's wage bill.

A draft bill under the Boresha Katiba initiative suggests the country be divided into fewer regions to replace the current devolved units under the 2010 Constitution.

The suggested counties are Coast, Upper Eastern, Lower Eastern, Central, Nairobi, North Rift Valley, South Rift Valley, Nyanza, Western and North Eastern.

"The first schedule of the Constitution is amended by deleting number one to forty seven. This clause reduces the number of counties to ten as opposed to forty-seven. This helps in alignment of a leaner, efficient and manageable government," reads the draft bill.

The new proposals add to a raft of others that had initially been proposed by the backers of the initiative led by Tiaty MP Asman Kamama. The initiative is one of the four separate legislative proposals that want Kenyans to vote in a referendum to amend sections of the Constitution.

Others are the Opposition led Okoa Kenya, Punguza Mzigo fronted by Gatundu South MP, Moses Kuria and Pesa Mashinani backed by Bomet governor Isaac Ruto.

Among changes being pushed by the different initiatives are reforms to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the reduction in the number of constituencies. The Boresha initiative wants the number of constituencies reduced from 290 to 210.

The new proposals also suggest changes to the Judiciary, including an increase in the retirement age of judges to 74. The MPs want High Court judges vetted after every five years to root out the corrupt and inefficient. They also want Supreme Court judges to serve a maximum of seven years.

If the proposals contained in a draft bill of the Boresha Katiba initiative are eventually accepted by Parliament, High Court judges will be vetted by a board formed by Parliament.

"The judges will be vetted by a board whose establishment and composition is to be legislated by Parliament. The board will examine the suitability of judges to continue serving," the new proposals read.

Other proposals in the draft bill are the introduction of capital punishment for economic sabotage, terrorism and drug trafficking.

The Tiaty MP was joined by Kabando Wa Kabando (Mukurweini) and Humphrey Njuguna (Gatanga) in drumming up support for the proposals. They revealed that a stakeholders' meeting will be held in a fortnight to build consensus on the proposals.

"We will convene a meeting to ask all stakeholders to give their views before we table the bill in the house. We have already sought the support of members from across the political divide," said Kamama.

"We have initiated consultations. These proposals will require both sides of the House to pass. We are asking everybody else to cross the floor," added Mr Kabando.

Asked whether the initiative had the blessings of the governing coalition, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale said Jubilee had not been formally informed.

"It is not the official Jubilee position. They have not informed the Jubilee leadership or parliamentary group. However, we support any amendments to the Constitution through a parliamentary initiative," Duale said.

The MPs released the draft proposal days after a petition was made in the National Assembly seeking to have separate referendum proposals merged into one bill. But the effort could fail as CORD has insisted that its train has "left the station and it supporters will not alight to board another train".

Some of the proposals can be achieved through a parliamentary initiative while others would need a referendum.

The draft bill proposes to reduce the time frame for achieving the two-thirds gender rule to ten years, from the 20 years suggested in a bill yet to be discussed by MPs.

This means that after the next elections, Parliament will stop the application of affirmative action and women will be required to compete on an equal footing with men.

"The new clause abolishes the two-thirds gender rule in the electoral system to allow for elections of candidates through a competitive electoral process. This amendment also reduces the salaries and benefits of the nominees," the draft bill reads.