Ngunjiri claims MPs cannot be trusted to pick Executive for Kenyans
Bahati MP Onesmus Kimani Ngunjiri on Friday warned that a parliamentary system of governance where the Executive is elected by MPs could be abused by corrupt lawmakers and individuals.
Ngunjiri said though the country was ripe for public debate on the merits and demerits of the current governance system, most of his colleagues in the National Assembly “have credibility issues and could not be trusted to deliver the will of citizens in electing a president, prime minister and deputy prime minister on behalf of Kenyans.”
The lawmaker, who spoke in Nakuru, said should the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force recommend adoption of a parliamentary system, MPs should steer off the debate and let the common wananchi have ample time and freedom to debate the issue without coercion and fear-mongering.
At the same time, the lawmaker said he was disappointed that citizens had not been accorded an opportunity to study and debate Thirdway Alliance’s Punguza Mizigo initiative, which he said was stifled by scare-mongering and deliberate misinformation by a clique of top political leaders.
Thirdway party leader D.r Ekuru Aukot had indicated that the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to reduce elective positions and do away with nomination slots.
The bill, however, officially collapsed after it was rejected by more than 24 counties, thus failing to secure the majority support that would have led to its introduction in Parliament.
The MP said politicians should not threaten citizens against debating their future and must be accommodative of efforts that encourage debate about the current state and the future.
Ngunjiri alleged that he was privy to information that some corrupt MPs have allegedly been receiving bribes from corporates, private individuals and agencies to vote for bills and debate motions in a particular way.
He urged his colleagues and policymakers to re-direct their energies from constant bickering and politics of succession and instead formulate strategies on revive ailing sectors such as tea, sugarcane, coffee and pyrethrum.
The BBI task force said on Wednesday it would hand over its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta at the earliest possible opportunity.
Members of the task force held their last formal sitting on Wednesday at its secretariat where they finalised the report and communicated the same to the President's office. -KNA
