Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has slammed President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's move to continue the push for the implementation of the National Dialogue Committee's (NADCO) report, saying that part of it will have no benefit to the common citizen.
Speaking during a Senate session on Wednesday, March 20, the lawmaker said that he will be at the vanguard of opposing the report, especially on the introduction of the office of the Prime Minister and his deputy.
According to the Senator, the implementation of the NADCO should be decided constitutionally by the people themselves through a referendum.
"Let us burn the midnight oil; we do things the proper way; what is supposed to go for a referendum? Let the people decide. If there is something I learnt during the fight against BBI, it is that there are some certain clauses of the constitution you cannot amend, and we want this debate to start now so that we do not waste time in court fighting NADCO," he said.
"If the time comes to vote, I'll be among those who will oppose the expansion of the executive. I do not understand the benefit of an expanded executive. So what if you have a prime minister and his deputy and a president with his deputy? How is it going to improve the lives of the people?" he added.
Khalwale, however, supported the introduction of the office of the leader opposition, which is also in the report, which he says 'makes a lot of sense.'
On Friday, March 7, Ruto and Raila inked a political cooperation deal between the Orange Democratic Party (ODM) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) that will see the two parties work together.
The two parties agreed to a 10-point MoU, which included commitments to fully implement the NADCO report.
The NADCO report was born as a result of the contentious 2022 polls. Ruto and Raila agreed to form a committee to quell tensions between the opposition and the ruling Kenya Kwanza government after the 2022 general elections, which were co-chaired by the Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wah.
In November 2023, the committee released the infamous NADCO report that recommended, among other things, the restructuring of the IEBC, the evaluation of the 2022 electoral process, and the establishment of the offices of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Official Opposition.
The move by the two leaders to see its implementation immediately faced backlash from several leaders, including Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who has in recent months been at the forefront in opposing the government.
Speaking during the People's Dialogue Festival at Uhuru Park on Friday, March 7, Omtatah warned that the implementation of the NADCO report would dismantle the country's future.
"We must destroy NADCO and say the Constitution, the way it is, must be implemented one hundred percent. Then, if it doesn't work, we move on to amend it," he said.
