Politics

Kenya Decides: Supreme Court knocks out President Kenyatta’s constitution reform to expand parliament, executive

Published

3 years ago

March 31, 2022

As the 2022 presidential elections in Kenya approach, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bid to change the constitution to change the country’s constitution has been labeled as “illegal” by the Supreme Court of Kenya. Thus, dealing a blow to him and his allies ahead of going to the polls in August.

Six of the seven judges overseeing the case at the Supreme Court said, ruled against Kenyatta’s proposal to expand the executive stressing that the President cannot initiate constitutional amendments or changes through popular initiative under article 257 of the constitution,”

The failed law would have expanded the executive and increased the number of parliamentary seats from 290 to 360, in the biggest change to Kenya’s political system since it introduced a new constitution in 2010.

The ruling was given by a seven-judge bench at the Supreme Court headed by Martha Koome, the country’s first female chief justice.

The ruling however left the possibility of adopting popular reforms – Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) – to be instituted by parliament or through other means, so long as the president did not have a hand in the changes.

The “Building Bridges Initiative” (BBI) was a constitutional referendum that occurred in Kenya in 2021. The initiative consisted of a series of 78 proposed amendments to the Constitution of Kenya and spanned 13 of its 18 chapters.

Many however disagreed with the BBI, most notable amongst the BBI detractors is Kenyatta’s estranged deputy William Ruto, who is running for the top job in August. Ruto believes the plan is a little more than a naked grab for power by a two-term president who cannot run a third time.

Related Topics:Featured kenya decides President Uhuru Kenyatta

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

5 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.