– Future Plans –
Dr Mutunga who is now the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Maldives for the next one year will be mostly in Kenya since he is required in the Maldives four days every quarter starting next month.
During that time he expects to go back to his ex-employer Ford Foundation to review the drafts of his two books.
“I might go to the FORD Foundation in New York and sit down and look at the books from a calmer place from here.”
The former CJ said he was ready to participate in Kenya’s reform processes especially on peaceful and fair elections but without being dragged into the politics of rival political parties.
“I will be around. If the dialogues on free peaceful and fair elections start, I would like to have my views known as well. I have strong views about that. I have been involved in these processes even before I became CJ.”
“But I will only participate if I am not pigeon-holed because if I think I am going to get there and people say I am CORD or Jubilee or I am Muslim – the usual Kenyan thing – I don’t want to be involved – I think they better get foreigners to do it.”
Dr Mutunga further urged the country to cement solid systems that will stabilise the country and not focus on selective reforms that will not last.
For him, free and fair elections are more complex than focusing only on one aspect.
A consultative dialogue with political parties, the electoral body and other players, Dr Mutunga advised, should be the meeting point of finding a strong foundation that will ensure long lasting systems are put in place to enhance democracy.
“The nation is bigger than us and if we don’t watch we are going to have a very serious instability over the election. Elections are not about the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Supreme Court – principally they are about political parties – they should sit with these institutions and have a consensus on how peaceful and credible elections can be done. Why can’t we have a dialogue on that,” he queried.
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