Thangwa seeks four year term for elected leaders

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangwa. [File, Standard]

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangwa has rejected the Bill seeking to extend term limits for the President and elected leaders and instead proposed to have the current five-year term limit reduced to four years.

Thangwa said that he will move a constitutional amendment Bill to ensure Kenyans elect their leaders after every four years to make them accountable and align the country to global best practices like in the United States of America.

Addressing Journalists at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, Wednesday, the senator said that the timing of the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024 sponsored by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei was suspect since Kenyans were tired of having their leaders stay in power for long.

“Looking at where Cherargei hails from raises a lot of questions as to why he will want to sponsor such kind of a motion at the moment, probably he is a proxy for leaders who want to stay in power for as long as possible, let him know that Kenyans are totally against his push to extend term limits,” said Thangwa.

The senator who is an ally of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, said that the President, governors, senators and MPs do not deserve an extension of their term limit and only MCAs deserve to stay in office longer since they are always with the people.

Thangwa wondered how people who could not tolerate Gachagua for another three years in office could contemplate extending elected leaders term limit, terming it as a ploy to remain in power after sensing that they have become unpopular with the masses.

He claimed that the Cherargei Bill is among other ploys to keep Kenyans busy so that they do not question the government failures on matters of national importance like the dwindling economy and challenges in the health sector.

“While the country is being kept busy with the impeachment of Gachagua and the intension to extend term limits for elected leaders to seven years, the courts have already okayed the controversial housing levy which most Kenyans are against,” said Thangwa.

The Senate Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee is set to conduct public participation on Cherargei Bill on Friday in Nairobi and has called on Kenyans to send their memorandums either in support or against the proposed law.

Currently the elected leaders in the country serve for five years with the President and governors only allowed to go for two consecutive terms while Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly can be elected for as many terms as possible.

“The Bill I have sponsored seeks to amend Article 136 of the Constitution to increase the term of office of the President from five to seven years and amend articles 101, 177 and 180 of the Constitution to extend the terms of Governors, Senators, Members of National Assembly and Members of County Assembly from five to seven years,” said Cherargei.
The Bill comes after Fafi MP Salah Yakub caused a storm in November 2022 when he proposed the removal of term limits for the President and instead replace it with an age limit of 75.

The Bill creates the office of the Prime Minister similar to the proposal made in the National Dialogue Committee and the Building Bridges Initiative reports with the proposal that the President shall appoint the Prime Minister from among the Members of Parliament.

The Bill proposes that the Prime Minister shall be the leader of the largest party or coalition of parties in Parliament and also seeks to enhance the powers of the Senate by giving it the exclusive mandate to vet some state officers.

“This Bill seeks to amends Articles 152, 156 157, 166, 215, 228, 229, 245 and 250 of the Constitution to assign the responsibility of approval for appointment of various state officers between the Senate and the National Assembly,” said Cherargei.

The Bill proposes amendment to Article 181 of the Constitution that provides for the procedure for removal from office of a county governor from office or a deputy governor so as to have a  decision to impeach a Governor being challenged only at the Supreme Court.

The Bill states that the Senate should be allowed to vet and approve for appointment Cabinet Secretaries, the Attorney General, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Chief Justice and Judges and members of constitutional commissions.

The House will also vet the Chairperson of the Commission on Revenue Allocation, the Controller of Budget, the Auditor General, Members of the Public Service Commission, the Inspector General of Police if approved by the House.