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Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, Senators John Lonyangapuo (West Pokot) and Gideon Moi (Baringo) before a meeting for Senators, Governors and County Assembly Clerks in Nairobi, Wednesday. The Senate wants a public vote to decide the fate of devolution. [PHOTO: MOSES OMUSULA/STANDARD] |
By MOSES NJAGIH
Kenya: Senators and the leadership of county governments now want Kenyans to go for a referendum to decide the fate of devolution.
The leaders said they wanted tight laws enshrined in the Constitution to protect the devolved units.
Angered by the recent move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to sign the contentious Division of Revenue Bill, which they say does not give sufficient funds to the counties, Senators, Governors and the Speakers of county assemblies across the country met yesterday in Nairobi and resolved to initiate constitutional amendments to insulate the devolved system.
They agreed on a two-prong approach to protect their turf, initiating “immediate and medium term measures” that could see the country return to the ballot to amend the 2010 Constitution.
The immediate measures include moving to the Supreme Court, which they had promised yesterday but their lawyer failed to show up at the court where journalists pitched tent.
They wanted the court to declare the assenting of the Bill a nullity, but in the interim, they will now be seeking the public’s support to amend the Constitution and protect the devolved system from imminent attacks that could eventually kill devolution.
Court declaration
But even as they admitted the court’s declaration might come too late to have the President rescind his decision, they said their move was meant to ensure the same procedure that was followed and which saw the input of the Senate on the Bill ignored, is not followed in the future.
Memories of the events that unfolded after independence, which saw the devolved system killed through the abolition of the Senate in 1966, were rife in many of the leaders as they met yesterday.
They saw the current ‘attack’ on the Senate by the National Assembly, which they said was rubberstamped by the President’s move to assent to the Bill, as part of a scheme to kill county governments.
“These are similar trends witnessed between 1963 and 1966 to kill federalism. Senate was the first target and this appears like a replica of that,” warned Senate Devolution Committee chair Kipchumba Murkomen.