Senator Crystal Asige says the Kenyan constitution is good but in the wrong hands.
Speaking during a small ceremony to mark 14 years since its promulgation in 2010, the nominated senator noted that; “I think that we have a good constitution but in the wrong hands”.
She said that the current problems witnessed in the country are a result of President William Ruto’s unfulfilled promises.
“We have to remember that our current president was not for this constitution in the first place; who are we to think that 14 years later, he would suddenly be a fan,” she quipped.
On August 5, 2010, 67 per cent of Kenyans voted in favour of the current constitution led by the late third president Mwai Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Ruto rejected 2010 constitution
On the opposing side was President William Ruto who was then the Minister for Higher Education. His ‘no camp’ garnered 30 per cent of the votes.
In the announcement made by the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) chairman Isaac Hassan, the “Yes” side had 5,954,767 votes and 2,687,193 voted “No” out of more than 8 million voters.
12 million voters had initially been registered.
Even with this defeat, Ruto had managed to marshal voters in the vast Rif-Valley region to reject the 2010 constitution.
At the time, the law required only 50 per cent plus one of the total votes to pass the constitution. Additionally, it needed at least 25 per cent in five of the eight regions in the country.
While conceding defeat, Ruto went on the offensive to say that 60 per cent of Kenyans either failed to vote or voted against the constitution and for that reason, there should be immediate consultations to amend it.
The 2010 constitution was hailed by former president of the United States Barrack Obama as one of the most progressive, saying the referendum was a ‘significant step for Kenya’s democracy’.
The constitution at the time, set out to address issues of political patronage, tribalism, land-grabbing, and reduce presidential powers which had been largely at the whims of the officeholder.
The constitution was also touted to be able to address corruption and aid in the formation of independent state agencies to tackle the cancer of graft.
