Deputy President should retire alongside President, says Muthama

Former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama at a burial in Kangundo Constituency. (Erastus Mulwa, Standard)

Former Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama has declared he will move to the constitutional court to compel the Deputy President to retire alongside the President upon the expiry of their second term in office.

Speaking on Friday at a burial in Kangundo Constituency, the outspoken politician said the move will ensure the presidency is not a preserve of few big tribes who enjoy numerical supremacy in the country.

Muthama says the current constitutional arrangement does not envisage a fair distribution of political power as it does not provide for equal opportunities for all 43 Kenyan ethnic communities to ascend to a higher office.

"I have met my lawyers this morning and have instructed them to move to the constitutional court to seek a declaration that once a sitting president completes his second term in office, his deputy should also retire automatically," he said.

The current constitution does not expressly state whether or not a DP who serves two consecutive terms in office may be barred from seeking elective position.

Muthama charged that dominance of big tribes in power politics and national leadership was responsible for the glaring inequalities in the country. "In this country, the richest families are those which have been in top political leadership. It is a known fact that individuals who own thousands of acres of land are people who have been in senior government positions," Muthama said.

The former senator also accused the current crop of the political leadership of selfishness and greed. "Members of the National Assembly who are supposed to safeguard the plight of millions of poor Kenyans have gone full throttle to exploit them by increasing their house allowances which is morally wrong," he said.

He urged Kenyans to hold to account elected leaders, and not allow them to get away with blatant plunder of public resources.