Meru Senator Mithika Linturi on Tuesday, November 26, revealed his stand on the nature of President Uhuru Kenyatta's cabinet appointments and how the constitution had apparently contributed to their (CSs) inability to perform.
While speaking in a panel on Citizen TV's Day Break, the Jubilee Party senator stated that the country had the constitution to blame for the calibre of people appointed to the cabinet.
The Meru senator insisted that there was a disconnect between the current CSs and the voter as compared to the previous constitution where ministers were elected leaders, and their roles as ministers and representatives were intertwined.
"We have a problem with our constitutional design, in terms of how we are trying to apportion power. Article 1 of the constitution says that the sovereign power belongs to the people, and the same power will be exercised through their democratically elected representatives.
"It means mwananchi has decided that I would want my affairs decided by who I voted for, and I will pay taxes so that this person decides what my taxes would do. Then I would be able to ask why you did not do A-B-C-D and if you are not able to meet my demands after five years, I will vote you out," he argued.
Linturi argued that the ability of a CS to perform in the prevailing constitutional dispensation was hinged on the president and not the citizens, hence the problems the country was facing.
He reiterated that the current CSs served at the pleasure of the president, and as such, they were not in a position to question President Uhuru Kenyatta for the fear of being fired.
In his arguement, Linturi also questioned the appointment of poll losers to cabinet positions.
"I cannot understand how a person who has just lost an election, is meant to sit in cabinet. One, because he has a problem with confidence levels. If you sit there, you cannot have the muscle to question President Uhuru, because if he didn't appoint you, you would be jobless," Linturi argued.
The debate was sparked by the impending release of the Building Bridges Initiatives(BBI) report and the speculations over a possible recommendation to amend the constitution.
