Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua could soon join Parliament as leaders of the minority side should new proposals by Attorney General Justin Muturi sail through.
In the new proposal released on Thursday, January 26, Raila is set to become the leader of the minority in the National Assembly while Karua assumes the same role in the Senate.
However, the changes will only take effect if MPs approve the proposals.
According to Muturi, there was no need to hold a referendum over the matter as the proposal would involve amendments to a part of the constitution.
"It is possible and we do not need a referendum. We can tinker a bit with Article 108 to have the person who comes second in the presidential polls be the minority leader in the National Assembly (NA) and the running mate, the leader in the Senate," Justin Muturi stated.
Article 108 of The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 reads; "There shall be a leader of the majority party and a leader of the minority party...The leader of the minority party shall be the person who is the leader in the National Assembly of the second largest party or coalition of parties."
The AG explained that the move would strengthen the opposition as they hold the government to account.
"The number will increase to 68 in the Senate and 350 in the NA. Now, this arrangement will ensure we have a true opposition in parliament," he stated.
Muturi's proposal came amid debate over the creation of the Office of the Official Opposition Leader which was proposed by President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza Coalition.
In the initial proposal, Raila's office was to be funded by the government as it was explained that the move would help the Azimio side perform its functions efficiently.
Those close to Ruto expressed that Raila deserved the office given the number of Kenyans who supported the Azimio side.
"Ruto won with 7.2 million votes and Raila received 6.9 million votes. If you look at Raila, are you saying the person does not deserve to have an office or car fueled up to reach his supporters?" UDA chairman Johnson Muthama opined.
However, Ruto came under criticism from Azimio leaders who accused him of bringing back proposals contained in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) through the back door. The Head of State had vehemently opposed BBI - an initiative jointly backed by Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"In making these proposals, he falls foul of the same demands he made and used to lead the challenge against BBI.
"These demands, all stated personally by himself, are: That a president cannot initiate constitutional amendments, that all proposals for amendments to the Constitution must start with the people and that the process of amendment must be people-driven," Raila argued at the time.
