If necessary, constitution can be amended anytime

By PETER WANYONYI

Faced with a creeping irrelevance, the CORD coalition appears to have chanced upon a masterstroke; the simmering and now nearly-boiling tiff between governors on the one hand, and central government on the other, over devolution.

Never mind that no one seems to understand what this “devolution” is — citizens, civil society activists and political henchmen-for-hire have all picked sides, depending on their tribal affiliation.

The government is already looking bad. Referenda come and go, and one agitating for the First Amendment to our still-new constitution should not be a big deal. So long as it is called for within constitutional provisions, and conducted legally and transparently, it is perfectly ok. It is bad manners for the Deputy President to bad-mouth those calling for the referendum — he and his coalition partners should instead tell Kenyans why the subject matter in the referendum call should see the referendum fail, rather than why the people calling for the referendum are bad or unsuitable to do so.

This is a generic weakness in Kenyan politics. We discuss the person making a point, rather than the merits of the point itself. While this is a common run-to position, there is no reason why people as lofty and well educated as the Deputy President should fall to the cheat bait of ad hominem attacks. Address the merits of the referendum, not the character of the person agitating for it. Lets rise above pettiness.