NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 24 – Committee of Experts on Constitution Review Chairman Nzamba Kitonga on Thursday said he was confident that the Committee would complete its work on time.
But he said with only five months to go a lot still needed to be done to come up with a new draft constitution.
“We have had very many consultations but they must continue. It is only that we are very short of time but we are confident that we will be able to produce the draft,” he said.
Within the remaining five months, the Committee was expected to continue meeting different groups for consultations, make a draft to be debated by the public for 30 days, Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitution and Parliament itself.
However Mr Kitonga said completion of the process also depended on other actors who will be required to play their part.
“The rest of the process has other actors, so it will be wrong for me to say that the other actors will be up to form, you will have to ask them,” he noted.
The Chairman also said the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) will be a main determinant of the process since it has the ultimate responsibility of conducting the referendum.
He only hoped all the stakeholders will likewise work according to schedule. The committee has been meeting with different groups to hold consultations especially on contentious issues.
Mr Kitonga noted that the Committee will start drafting issues that are not in contention as they seek consensus on issues not agreed upon.
“As we continue with these consultations we will start working on the draft particularly on those parts that are not among the issues in contention, they also require a lot of work in terms of editing and cleaning up,” he said.
He noted that Kenyans actively participated and supported his team by giving their views especially on issues in contention.
“Kenyans don’t want an imperial presidency, they have instructed us that we must put up a very elaborate system of checks and balances whatever system of governance they opt for,” he noted.
As much as Kenyans want a devolved government, Mr Kitonga said they still had not agreed on the level of devolution. The issue of transition of the government also remained controversial.
System of governance was also another controversial issue the committee was expected to work on to reach a consensus.
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