Ruto moots new plan to reward Raila and Karua with leadership roles
Ruto's administration comes up with a new proposal to have Raila and Karua take leadership roles in the parliament
Ruto’s administration comes up with a new proposal to have Raila and Karua take leadership roles in the parliament.
In a revised plan unveiled on January 26 by Attorney General Justin Muturi, Raila is slated to take over as the minority leader in the National Assembly, with Karua serving in the same capacity in the Senate.
However, the changes won’t go into effect until MPs approve them.
According to Muturi, there was no need to hold a referendum over the matter as the proposal would involve amendments to a part of the constitution.
“It is possible and we do not need a referendum. We can tinker a bit with Article 108 to have the person who comes second in the presidential polls be the minority leader in the National Assembly (NA) and the running mate, the leader in the Senate,” Justin Muturi stated.
Article 108 of The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 reads; “There shall be a leader of the majority party and a leader of the minority party…The leader of the minority party shall be the person who is the leader in the National Assembly of the second largest party or coalition of parties.”
The AG explained that the move would strengthen the opposition as they hold the government to account.
“The number will increase to 68 in the Senate and 350 in the NA. Now, this arrangement will ensure we have a true opposition in parliament,” he stated.
Muturi’s proposal came amid debate over the creation of the Office of the Official Opposition Leader which was proposed by President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Coalition.
Initially, it was suggested that the government pay Raila’s office because doing so would enable the Azimio side to carry out its duties effectively.
Those close to Ruto expressed that Raila deserved the office given the number of Kenyans who supported the Azimio side.
“Ruto won with 7.2 million votes and Raila received 6.9 million votes. If you look at Raila, are you saying the person does not deserve to have an office or car fueled up to reach his supporters?” UDA chairman Johnson Muthama opined.
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However, Ruto came under criticism from Azimio leaders who accused him of bringing back proposals contained in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) through the back door.
Ruto had vehemently opposed BBI an initiative jointly backed by Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“In making these proposals, he falls foul of the same demands he made and used to lead the challenge against BBI.
“These demands, all stated personally by himself, are: That a president cannot initiate constitutional amendments, that all proposals for amendments to the Constitution must start with the people, and that the process of amendment must be people-driven,” Raila argued at the time.
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