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PNU digs in on draft

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 13 -The PNU Coalition is now demanding copies of public views submitted to the Committee of Experts and the Hansard of the committee’s deliberations.

The coalition is irate with the experts for allegedly failing to incorporate the views of Kenyans in the revised draft Constitution. PNU’s supreme council on Wednesday instructed its secretariat to demand the copies as proof that the experts ignored Kenyans.

The council poked holes into the revised draft law terming it as “not a viable replacement as it remains a critique of the current constitution.”

“The draft is internally inconsistent and at times downright contradictory to the extent that if passed, it would perpetuate conflicts,” said Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, who read the statement on behalf of the council.

The irate council resolved to push for the review of the Chapters on the Executive and that of Devolution to reflect the wishes of Kenyans.

“Together with the majority of Kenyans we support a Presidential system, with effective and sufficient checks and balances that safeguard against abuse of power,” the VP reiterated adding that there is no way a President and Prime Minister could check each other since they are part of the Executive.

“We reject the mongrel hybrid proposed in the draft constitution which would be a recipe for conflict and chaos.”

The party has been engaged in disagreement with its coalition partner ODM who are stuck on having a Parliamentary system of government. Meetings of the Coalition management committee held prior to the release of the document failed to strike a consensus.

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Review goes into a retreat this week to scrutinise the document and make its recommendations with consensus building on top on its agenda.

“Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta will be leading our team in the PSC,” Mr Kalonzo announced.

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PNU Chairman George Saitoti said the party was committed to consensus building to deliver a new constitution.

“It is only through consensus that Kenyans are going to have a genuine constitution they deserve. We must be ready to give and take,” he said.

The council also wants the new constitution implemented after the 2012 elections with an exception on clauses relating to the management of elections.

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