NAIROBI,Kenya Sep 24 – ODM Leader Raila Odinga is urging President Uhuru Kenyatta to consult widely before making a decision on the Chief Justice David Maraga’s advice to dissolve Parliament over the two-thirds gender rule.
In a statement sent to newsrooms on Wednesday, Odinga said Maraga’s advice has placed the country and the people of Kenya in a precarious constitutional and political situation that will require careful deliberation before any action is taken.
“I appeal to the President to consult as widely as possible before taking any action on this matter and ensure that the overall interests of the people are served by any action he finally decides to take,” he said.
The former Premier also wondered how the CJ’s advisory to President Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament over failure to enact the two-third gender rule would resolve the matter.
The ODM Leader said dissolving Parliament will only place the country and Kenyans in a precarious constitutional and political crisis, and will solve nothing.
The former Prime Minister insisted the current situation required a consensus on the way forward “failing which we may throw the baby with the bathwater.”
“In circumstances where institutions have failed as it is the case with Parliament currently, the Constitution gives power to citizens to act directly and not through their elected representatives to have their aspirations realised,” said Odinga in a statement.
Chief Justice Maraga’s advisory has attracted criticism from various sectors including the Parliamentary Service Commission, Council of Governors and Kenya National Union of Teachers. The three have termed the move as immature and counterproductive.
PSC and KNUT have indicated that they will be moving to court to challenge the advisory terming it a recipe for a constitutional crisis and a possible economic disruption should the President dissolve the Parliament.
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