Ruto, Raila men close ranks on PM, Leader of Opposition offices

President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga troops in Parliament have closed ranks on the contentious law change to allow for creation of the office of the Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition position. 

National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah and his Minority counterpart Opiyo Wandayi made a rare convergence on the expansion of the Executive when they made separate submissions before a Parliamentary Committee.

The two leaders however sharply differed on how to achieve the new offices as proposed in a petition filed by a private citizen, Victor Okul.

Okul in his petition to MPs also wants introduction of the office of the Deputy Prime Minister to cure winner-takes-it all that he noted is the reason why the country’s election is hotly contested.

The petitioner further explained that every presidential election since the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, has been divisive on account of the winner-takes-it-all system.

While Wandayi insisted that the matter must be subjected to a referendum, Ichung’wa appeared to agree with the petition, which said the offices could be created through a parliamentary process.

In his presentation to the Public Petitions Committee of the National Assembly, the Ugunja MP argued that the creation of the new offices will fundamentally alter the functions of Parliament and hence the amendments need to be taken to the people through a referendum.

“Those amendments relate with functions of Parliament. You will be creating a new structure. You can amend anything in the constitution but take it to the people. It is as simple as that,” he said.

Wandayi promised that Azimio will support the proposed changes at a referendum.

“If we go to a referendum, Azimio will vote Yes,” he maintained saying the Opposition has always been of the view that the country needs to adopt a parliamentary system of government as opposed to pure presidential.

He said the Prime Minister would be from the party or coalition that forms the government.

Ichung’wa said the petition is “indeed timely and the petitioner seeks to enhance inclusiveness and promote unity in the country by providing for greater representation of different regions and communities in the country.”

He noted that following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the transition to a presidential system, candidates seeking to contest for the top seat are excluded from vying for parliamentary seats.

He said the current system locks out the Leader of Minority side from meaningful political participation and they are left to rely on Minority House Leadership to perform the function of oversight.

“It is worth noting that towards the end of 2022, President William Ruto wrote to Speakers of both Houses to consider introduction of a constitutional amendment to set up the office of the Leader of Opposition,” he said.

He explained that the office of the Leader of Opposition will institutionalise governance, strengthen oversight and deepen democracy.

“This is in line with provisions of Article 10 of the constitution which provides that good governance, integrity and accountability are the foundation of the national values and principles of governance in Kenya,” he added.

“The time is indeed right for us to explore the possibility of remedying this as it will greatly contribute in strengthening democratic institutions and promote a culture of peaceful and inclusive political participation,” he said.

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has opposed Ruto's proposal to amend the constitution in order to create the office of Opposition Leader.

Raila said the proposal by Ruto's administration to amend the constitution "undoubtedly seeks to re-introduce the same matters that the Building Bridges Initiative had suggested for many months."

According to Raila, while the proposals are similar to those in the BBI, they cannot be presented in the same way or processed through the National Assembly.

-Edited by SKanyara