NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 6 – Kenya\’s politicians have been challenged to focus more on development and avoid premature campaigns ahead of the general election in 2012.
The statement comes as interest gathers momentum for positions of County Governors and Senators that were created under the new Constitution and will be a key feature in the next poll.
Mathira MP Ephraim Maina described the lobbying as hasty, saying that they would derail the development agenda of the country.
"It is premature to start campaigning for any position. We have not even put structures and Bills in place which outline how the counties will run," he said. "How do you start saying that I am running for Governor, Deputy Governor or even as a Senator? They are just proposals as far as I am concerned. We should not distract this country."
He pointed out that Kenyans need to be given time to elect leaders of their choice.
"You cannot just give anybody the position of a Governor; somebody to control Sh5 billion… somebody who may not understand to control that money or somebody who may be looking to enrich himself using that money," he explained.
Meanwhile, sentiments by citizens on the streets of Nairobi suggest that clamour for the positions was disappointing. A number of them told Capital News that a proper framework must be put in place before any kind of lobbying begins.
"All of them should resign first before they can compete for any other governorship position," said Abdullah Hassan an IT consultant.
"I think it is too soon. They have not seen how the position of Senator will take shape, so they should wait for that to fall into place first," Simon Wanyonyi told Capital News.
A number of leaders, among them sitting and former MPs have declared interest in new positions that will be created by the new Constitution.
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