President William Ruto has declared his stance over a proposal seeking the extension of Presidential term limits and those of other elective offices.
The proposal by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei contained in the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024 has already made its way into the Senate.
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President Ruto and his ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party slammed the bid to extend term limits for elective offices and distanced itself from the proposal.
The ruling party through Secretary General Hassan Omar in a statement on October 2 maintained that it remains committed to uphold, defend letter and spirit of Constitution, terming the bid as “repugnant, retrogressive and primitive”.
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“The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has learnt with great concern and disappointment that one of the Party’s elected leaders has tabled a Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to alter the constitutional term limits set for holders of elective offices by extending them,” the statement reads.
“Of grave concern is that this cynical, profoundly misguided and self-serving Bill contravenes a long-held aspiration of the people of Kenya to retire the undemocratic entrenchment of unaccountable political monopolies and seeks to deny the people regular opportunities to hold leadership to account and directly exercise sovereign power.”
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The party said that the proposal does not seek to pursue any meaningful objectives beyond illegitimate. myopic and retrogressive ends.
Ruto Declares Stance Over Extension of Presidential Term Limits
At the same time, the party called out the bill’s sponsors saying that they did not engage in sufficient reflection with regard to the historical origins, institutional basis and political necessity of term limits.
Also Read: Bill Seeking to Extend Ruto’s Term to be Introduced in Parliament
“The masterminds and sponsors of the constitutional amendment bill, who are evidently preoccupied with sensational distractions and perverse indulgence in political delinquency and legislative mischief, have not engaged in sufficient reflection with regard to the historical origins, institutional basis and political necessity of term limits,” UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said.
He added, “Neither have they duly considered the explicit duty of leadership to respect, uphold and defend the letter and spirit of our constitution, and our commitment to offer leadership of our common national project of fully actualizing its values and principles.”
The UDA party further retaliated that it disassociates itself from the bill and called any of its rank and file who leads, supports or is, in any manner whatsoever, involved with it, to order.
Ruto’s party said that the bill is incompatible with its policy and aspirations.
“This juvenile political experimentation and delinquent affront to our constitutional values must now crush to a halt!” it added.
Also Read: Why President Ruto Needs Raila Odinga More Than Ever
The proposed law in question is contained in the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, sponsored by Senator Cherargei, which has been introduced in the Senate for first reading.
Bill introduced in Senate
Notably, the bill proposes increase of the term of service for the President, Members of Parliament (MPs), Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and governors to seven years.
“The Bill proposes to amend Article 136 of the Constitution, which provides for election of the President, to increase the term of President from five years to seven years,” the Bill states.
Following the introduction of the bill, the Senate in a notice published on October 2 invited members of the public to submit their views on the bill.
According to the notice, members of the public are directed to submit their views before Friday, October 2024 at 5.00 p.m.
In addition, Kenyans were invited to attend a public hearing of the bill that would be held by the Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights on Friday, October 25 at 9.00 a.m.
Senator Cherargei had in 2023 triggered talks after he fronted a constitutional amendment to extend the presidential term limit.
Since the swearing in of President Ruto in September 2022, there have been 3 proposals to have the President’s term in office extended from the current 5 years.
Cherargei in 2023 claimed that the five-year term is too short for any President to carry efficiently deliver on his mandate.
Currently, the Constitution limits the term of the President to a maximum of two terms of five years.
If the proposal is adopted, it would mean that a President will serve for the first seven years, and still go back to the electorate to ask for a second term of seven years, giving a lucky president 14 years in power.
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