Re: [ccr-kenya] Which part of "No Reforms. No Elections" do these politicians not understand?

Coalition constitution reform has lot it all, again.

When I said that Kibaki was never interested in giving
Kenya a new constitution, I was given a lot of lecture
on what ccr was advocating and the demand for
constitutional reforms, not minimum reforms.

Now with the benefit of hind sight, are we truly in
the mood for constitutional reforms? Does Kibaki have
that good will to steer this?

And yet these are learned fellows!

We must have the capacity to see through pseudo
reformers, democratic pretenders, and those who can do
the work.

It was clear from the onset, that Kibaki needed the
presidency so badly, not to serve Kenyans, but to
finish projects they started before the death of the
Great Jomo.

Then he was the Finance Minister, and he presided over
sessional paper no. 10, which disenfranchised other
Kenyans from partaking of the National cake. He
basiclly centred on central province being the
economic basket for Kenya. Such that fish was produced
in Nyanza, but processed in Thika.

Maize was produced in Kitale, but stored in Thika. Tea
from Kisii was processed in Thika. Macadamia was
produced in Coast, but processed in Thika.

Such was Kibaki's economic genius, that when Kenyatta
abrubtly died in Mombasa, they were cut off. They were
not yet complete with complete subjugation of Kenya.

It was hence a god send to Kibaki when Kenyans elected
him president in 2002.

The man went to work fast. He had to play catch up,
and this is why he did not even pretend. He instantly
disowned the MOU, with his colleagues saying that the
MOU was not supreme.

That it was the constitution that was supreme. Tell
me, Tegi and ccr, when the MOU was being signed, was
Kenya in a constitutional vacuum? This was the first
clear trait of a pseudo democrat; one who could not
keep his word.

You will also remember that IPPG was signed when
Kibaki was the leader of official opposition in
parliament. This gentleman's agreement made Moi allow
the opposition nominate members of the electoral
commission.

But with Kibaki as the president, the president
becomes right when he unilaterally appoints his
cronies. They will sight the constitutional rights of
the President as they are doing now.

Kibaki is getting bold by the day because of the
unprincipalled stand taken by bodies such as ccr. To
me, these are busy bodies. People who will NEVER be
helpful to the Kenyan cause.

When we see a problem, we must take clear stands
immediately. Stands that will benefit Kenya. Not
stands that are meant to pose as baits for notice.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Komarock Nairobi


--- Coalition Constitution Reform
ccr_kenya aT yahoo dot co doT uk  wrote:

> The elite politicians are only focused on elections,
> because it is through elections that they feed
> themselves.
>
> Wananchi
>  on the other hand want and need comprehensive
> reforms to end once and for all corruption, land
> grabbing and selfish pillage of public resources by
> a few.
>
> Wananchi are least interested in minimum reforms or
> quarter reforms or half reforms. It is all or
> nothing.
>
> No ref forms, or no elections. Mambo kwisha!
>
> -----------------------------
> Please see elite politicians' half-baked demands
> below:
>
>   These're our demands           
>           
>         BY EMMANUEL ONYANGO 
>
>        THE Parliamentary Committee on Administration
> of Justice and Legal Affairs together and ODK-K
> bigwigs Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday
> vowed to scuttle President Mwai Kibaki's alleged
> plot to rig this year's general election.
>
> 
> And rolling out a road map to ensure this, the
> committee unveiled a package of minimum
> constitutional reforms it described as necessary to
> ensure level playing field at the 2007 general
> elections.
>
> 
> Raila and Uhuru averred to mobilise Kenyans across
> the country to thwart President Kibaki's alleged
> plot to rig the election to "remain in power against
> their wishes". "If he wants to win the elections,
> let him win it in a manner that Kenyans and the
> whole world recognises that they were free and
> fair," Uhuru said, adding: "Democracy is a process,
> not an event. But it should be a process that
> consolidates gains made and allows the country to
> move forward and not backward.
>
> 
> The proposed reforms package, contained in the
> Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2006,
> particularly targets to tie the hands of President
> Kibaki over the use of national resources in the
> electioneering period and in the appointment of
> Commissioners to the Electoral Commission of Kenya
> (ECK).
>
> 
> Committee chairman Paul Muite pledged to have the
> reforms package tabled as soon as Parliament
> reconvenes and the bill passed in time to govern the
> elections expected before the end of the year.
> Should the bill become law, ECK shall no longer be
> subject to the direction or control on any other
> person or authority, including the President.
>
> The bill would also allow current ECK Chairman
> Samuel Kivuitu and his team to remain in office for
> an additional term of three years should it be
> passed before the expiry of their respective tenure.
>
> "The proposed amendments seek among others to
> enhance the independence of the ECK to provide for
> an autonomous and financially independent electoral
> commission devoid of political manipulation," the
> bill's preface states.
>
> 
> Other proposals contained in the reforms package
> include an independent calendar for Parliament and a
> constitutional requirement for the winner in a
> presidential contest to garner more than 50 per cent
> of all votes cast in addition to 25 per cent of the
> votes cast in at least five of the eight provinces.
>
> 
> The bills also make it mandatory for an opposition
> MPs to join the government only after getting
> approval from his political party, failure of which
> the member shall lose his seat. It will also ensure
> that any coalition between political parties is
> negotiated and formalised.
> The same proposals had previously generated
> controversy at the Government-sponsored
> Multi-Sectoral Constitution Review Committee,
> popularly referred as the Windsor Committee, leading
> to a walkout by opposition leaders.
>
> The committee was jointly chaired by Health Minister
> Charity Ngilu and Kanu vice chairman Dalmas Otieno.
>
> 
> The Bill similarly seeks to entrench the
> comprehensive review process in the constitution,
> the establishment of a Judicial Service Commission
> that enjoys financial and operational autonomy and
> the entrenchment of affirmative action in the
> constitution by increasing the number of nominated
> MPs to 36 -of whom at least 24 must be women. The
> Bill was unveiled following a closed door
> consultative meeting between members of the
> Parliamentary Committee and key stakeholders at a
> Nairobi hotel.
>
> 
> Lang'ata MP Raila Odinga, who was present at the
> meeting, hailed the reforms package as a necessary
> initiative in ensuring free and fair elections which
> he said must be supported by all concerned parties.
>  "We would like to see the country hold successful
> and peaceful elections, that is why we are pushing
> for the minimum reforms. Unfortunately what we see
> is impunity and arrogance from the government side
> in its efforts to rig the elections," said Raila.
>
> 
>  " There is a deliberate attempt by the government
> to take us back to the dark days of 80's and 90's.
> We are determined to stop them from rigging the
> election and will protect the democratic gains that
> have been secured at great costs," said the ODM-K
> presidential aspirant.
> Mr. Odinga further questioned President Kibaki's
> devotion to democratic ideals, recalling how the
> president had in his days in the opposition rallied
> behind the: 'No Reforms, No Elections' campaigns.
>  Official opposition leader and Kanu Chairman Uhuru
> Kenyatta, accused the President for using the
> constitution review as a forum for pushing
> re-election agenda.
>
> 
>  Also present at the morning meeting were Kenneth
> Marende (Emuhaya), Omingo Magara (South Mugirango),
> Anyan'g Nyong'o (Kisumu Rural), Amina Abdalla
> (Nominated) and Kamukunji constituency aspirant Tony
> Gachoka. Cabinet Ministers Musikari Kombo and
> Charity Ngilu sent representatives.
>
> 
> Others in attendance were Kenya National Commission
> on Human Rights (KNCHR) chairman Maina Kiai and
> commissioner Lawrence Mute.
> The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2006 was
> drafted by a sub-committee chaired by Kenneth
> Marende. Its terms of reference included considering
> possible options on the way forward for the
> constitutional review process.
>
> 
> While undertaking its mandate, the sub-committee
> initiated consultation with all political parties
> represented in Parliament, ECK, the judiciary, Law
> Society of Kenya (LSK), religious leaders and civil
> societies.
>
> 
> Other reforms proposed in the Bill include a ceiling
> of not less than 15 and not more than 25 ministries
> in the government. Deputy Ministers are also not to
> exceed the number of ministries appointed. There
> shall also be the Minister of the Government of
> Kenya It proposes that the composition of ECK be
> overhauled to consist of a chairman and eight
> Commissioners nominated by the National Assembly and
> appointed by the President. The polls body shall be
> responsible for registration of voters and political
> parties, direct and supervise presidential,
> parliamentary and local government elections and
> also administer the political parties fund.
>
> 
> "The composition of the Commission shall reflect the
> regional and other diversities of the people of
> Kenya and the principle of affirmative action," the
> bill proposed.
>
> 
> On the constitution review process, the Bill
> proposes that the draft constitution be subjected to
> a referendum and be passed by a simple majority. ECK
> will seven days after the referendum present the
> draft constitution to the President who in turn
> shall proclaim to the people a new constitutions
> within seven days.
>
> 
> With regard to the calendar of the National
> Assembly, the Bill proposes that Parliament be
> prorogued on the 30th November every year and the
> new
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