NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 16 – President William Ruto has broken his silence on the plans by a legislator within his political fold to extend the presidential term limits.
President Ruto who chaired the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) parliamentary group meeting Wednesday castigated the plans describing the as ‘selfish’ and instead urged legislators to focus on issues that serve Kenyans.
“Do not spend your time pushing for selfish & self-serving legislation, like changing the Constitution to remove term limits, my focus is service to the people,” he told the MPs.
Fafi MP Salah Yakub has caused a storm by proposing that the two-term Presidential limit in the Constitution be replaced with an age limit of 75 years.
Yakub who threatened to sponsor a bill to effect his proposal stated that the constitutionally mandated two five year term are limited.
Azimio La Umoja One Kenya lawmakers had alleged that the first term legislator was sent to test the waters on the proposal by President Ruto.
Already, senior officials of Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party have denied backing a plan to repeal presidential term limits.
The governing party termed the proposal as a product of “fertile imagination” which it said will not be entertained.
UDA Chairperson Johnston Muthama, while reacting to news reports on Tuesday, said the party had not discussed the matter and that the proposal by one of its members was not supported by the party.
Muthama, in a tweet, however termed the sentiments as the personal opinion of the first-time legislator.
Majority Whip Silvanus Osoro on his part said the utterances are personal and not the actual plans of the United Democratic Alliance.
“The member of Fafi is merely and attention seeker, he has a myriad of problems he is supposed to be dealing with, issues of hunger among others, that is not the position of the party, and I speak with authority, there is no such thinking that we need to change the constitution to remove the term limit” he said.
Osoro threatened that the party could take disciplinary action against the Fafi legislator for claiming to speak on its behalf without being given that permission.
The Majority Whip stated that if the proposal ever came to the floor of the house, they will thwart it with the contempt it deserves.
“We respect that we are a democracy, but if it’s evident that he has misrepresented the party, and has brought the name of the party in disrepute, then we won’t hesitate to take action against him, because what he is saying is utter imaginary thinking, its fantasy thinking” he said.
