Proposal for longer office term different from Nadco report, says Cherargei

The Constitutional amendment legislative proposal intending to increase term limits for the President, Governors, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly to seven years is different from proposals made in the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said yesterday.

Cherargei  denied working on behalf of his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party to front the proposals.

In his proposal, Cherargei seeks to amend Articles 101, 177 and 180 of the Constitution to extend the terms of Members of Parliament, MCAs and governors to seven years.

Article 142 of the Constitution states that the President shall hold office for a term beginning on the date on which the President was sworn in, and ending when the person next elected President in accordance with Article 136 (2) (a) is sworn in and that a person shall not hold office as President for more than two terms.

However, for Cherargei’s proposal to sail through, it will have to go through a referendum since it touches on the extension of the term limit.

Article 255 of the Constitution states that a proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be enacted in accordance with Article 256 or 257 and approved by a referendum, if the amendment relates to the supremacy of the Constitution and the territory of Kenya and the term of office of the President.

Cherargei explained that after the NADCO report was tabled he saw it necessary to supplement and spice it further by introducing the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2024 at the Senate which will assist in curing political impasse witnessed after every general election.

Time lost

If approved by the Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei-led Justice, Constitutional Affairs and Human Rights committee and cleared by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, the bill will be published for introduction in the Senate for first reading.

Cherargei argued that the seven years is meant to cure the time lost during the campaigns and after the elections.“I am proposing the term limits for the President, Governors, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly to be increased from the current five to seven years, this being one of the proposals to cure political impasse after every general election,” said Cherargei.

According to the Nandi lawmaker, one year is lost on the last year of the term and another year lost after election with losers going to court to challenge the outcome of the polls.

Yesterday at Parliament buildings, the Nandi lawmaker said the public will get a chance to interrogate and air their views on the constitutional amendment bill during the public participation and give both houses of parliament time to deliberate on his proposals.