NAIROBI, Kenya Sep 5 – The battle to have amendments to the new Constitution was re-ignited on Sunday after a group of MPs led by Higher Education minister William Ruto maintained that they would push for the necessary changes in Parliament.
Speaking during the Dedication Service for the Stewards Revival Pentecostal Church in Outering Estate, Ruto said they supported the full implementation of the new Constitution but with amendments, as most of its provisions were good for the country.
He said the implementation phase should in the long term, include \’improving\’ of parts of the Constitution that the \’No\’ team found defective.
"We are one people… it is now our collective responsibility and business to implement the new Constitution and as we do so through legislation remove the contentious areas, and ambiguous areas so that we can have a new Constitution that is improved and serves the collective interests of the people of Kenya and we can do this together as a nation" he said.
The Higher Education Minister said Kenyans must now move beyond the politics of the Reds and Greens which were the symbols of the August 4 referendum.
He called on the President and the Prime Minister to show leadership and impress upon MPs the need to set aside their political differences and come up with a credible document.
Mr Ruto said that Kenyans have always shown great resilience even in the most difficult of times to make the country a better place adding this time should be no exception.
He said: "We all realise that in the past we have had occasion to use the search for a new Constitution as an excuse, sometime as a reason or a scapegoat but now we don\’t have that luxury, we have a new Constitution… we must walk the talk."
MPs Victor Munyaka and Silas Ruteree dismissed recent opinion polls that suggested that church leaders had lost credibility following the adoption of the Constitution which they had opposed in the August 4 referendum.
"The whole world knows what is bad in this document. Even God knows because you spoke out but I want you to continue praying so that we as the courageous MPs led by Ruto can push forward to have it cleaned" said Mr Munyaka.
Kamukunji MP Simon Mbugua and Former Nyeri Town MP Wanyiri Kihoro advised the government against isolating the Church.
Church leaders were against a clause on the right to life, claiming that it gave leeway to abortion on demand.
While the politicians want the government to effect amendments on the contentious sections of the new law including Land, Abortion and Kadhi\’s courts although the Committee of Experts and some MPs have opposed any amendments to it before it is applied and its efficacy tested.
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