Debate on Draft Constitution

I support the effort that has been made towards getting a new constitution for Kenya. I have not managed to read through the draft that has been distributed free and when I try to I cannot comprehend some of the vocabulary used. It is very confusing for the common mwananchi (citizen) to understand.

Members of parliament are currently debating the Draft Constitution; issues like Devolution, Abortion, and Kadhi’s court are some of the contentious issues in this draft. What I expect from the new constitution as a common citizen and I believe is what many Kenyans want is a President who is not very powerful. We have seen what powerful Presidency has done for this Country. We do not want to feel like the Country is owned by one person or a particular group yet the Country is for all of us. We elect the President then later he becomes too powerful for those who put him in office. Presidents should not serve more than one term otherwise they become dictators.

The constitution should protect us from the problems we faced during the last election. We need assurance in order to register again as voters in the on going exercise, waiting to vote confidently in 2012. A President who does not uphold democracy should be voted out through Parliament before he finishes his term.

About abortion, I believe that abortion is murder and should not be legalized in Kenya. Many who advocate for abortion to be legalized because of rape and incest forget that most of the women who abort have not been raped or cases of incest. Many of them get pregnant knowing, there are all sorts of contraceptives to prevent pregnancy. Prevention is better than cure. On Kadhi’s court I have never understood clearly why this is a contentious issue, because we are told it has been in the current constitution for years. I am a Christian and in Kenya there is freedom of worship. So long as these courts do not interfere with my faith and my freedom as a Kenyan, I do not see it as problem that should stop us from getting a new constitution.

As a Kenyan who has waited for a new Constitution for years, I hope and pray the contentious issues will be resolved as soon as possible.