Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has come out to publicly criticise Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei's bill which seeks to extend the term of Members of Parliament and the President from 5 to 7 years.
Senator Cherargei's controversial bill has sparked a huge debate across the country to the point of jamming an email address meant for the public to comment on the proposed bill.
On Saturday, Oparanya joined Kenyans in rejecting the bill, saying extending public officers' term in office would add no value.
"I'm seeing leaders coming up with agendas which will not help Kenyans," he said, adding, "Leaders are coming up with issues which have no value. When you say MPs, MCAs and the President should serve a seven-year term, how will that help? We must uphold the constitution of Kenya which dictates a five-year term."
The CS also noted that the most productive economies in the world had Presidential terms ranging from four to five years.
The bigger picture: The controversial bill by Senator Cherargei seeks a number of amendments besides the extension of the Presidential term limit.
The bill also proposes the creation of an Office of the Prime Minister, similar to a proposal made in the National Dialogue Committee and the Building Bridges Initiative reports.
In the same bill, the Senate would be involved in approving the deployment of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in any part of the country.
Cheragei's take: On his part the Nandi Senator admitted to receiving an overwhelming number of messages from Kenyans opposing the bill. While acknowledging feedback from the public, the Senator divulged that his bill was subject to a debate in Parliament, and a way forward would be issued in the coming week.
The Senator also refuted claims that he was being used as a pawn by higher powers in government to sponsor the contentious bill.
He said: "As a sponsor of the bill, I want to say this is a private members bill under the standing orders of the Senate. This bill is not sponsored by anybody. Under the standing orders, any Senator can sponsor a bill."
Meanwhile, amid fierce opposition of Cherargei's bill, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), through Secretary General Hassan Omar, distanced itself from it.
