Martha Karua Takes On Uhuru Over Constitutional Changes [VIDEO]

Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua during an interview on KTN's Point Blank.
Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua during an interview on KTN's Point Blank.
File

Narc-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua renewed her opposition against President Uhuru Kenyatta's quest for constitutional changes. 

Karua has warned that the Kenyan constitution will still bar President Uhuru Kenyatta from serving as a powerful Prime Minister, even if it is changed.

Speaking on Citizen TV during an interview via video link on Monday night, June 1, the former Justice Minister maintained that she is very skeptical over the reasoning behind changing the 2010 constitution.

"I am yet to be convinced that the constitution of Kenya 2010 needs any rectification.

“Our feeling is, the current constitution has not been properly implemented and there has been reluctance to implement it, what is the need therefore of making constitutional changes and continuing to disobey the law," she stated.

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The former Gichugu MP made it clear that the onus was on the proponents of the constitutional changes to convince Kenyans why the move was necessary.

She questioned the timing of the announcement as well, going on to allude that the entire project was being pushed forward by the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team.

"When the BBI was on, I did not get any convincing reason, and the discussion that went on at the BBI was mainly a conversation by supporters of the president and of the honourable Prime Minister.

"Contrary views were clearly not welcome so, if now the BBI team proposes constitutional changes, which I do not think are merited, the onus is on them to convince Kenyans why we should consider the changes," she asserted.

Karua then turned her guns on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), calling for a re-examination of the entire system and how it works.

“I think the problem that we have had as Kenyans is faith in the elections and those who manage the elections, we need a national conversation on that. The electoral commission has not inspired confidence in Kenyans over a long period of time.

"Removing the commission does not help in any way. Remember we have done it before. The problem goes much deeper than that. We can keep on changing commissioners after every election but that will not change anything. We need to have a conversation and find a way to build trust," she stated.

President Uhuru, on June 1, invoked the spirit of the late Tom Mboya during the Madaraka Day celebrations at State House Nairobi when he called for constitutional amendments.

"If we have done great things. We must not be afraid to change the system if it does not help us do this.

"He argued that a Constitution cannot be useful to a country if it is an end to itself. A good Constitution must be responsive to the aspirations of a nation & be a means to a greater end," he said.

President Uhuru Kenyatta giving his Madaraka Day Address at State House on June 1, 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta giving his Madaraka Day Address at State House on June 1, 2020.
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