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Wednesday, March 31, 2010

DRAFT LATEST

All the proposed amendments to the draft constitution debated during the Wednesday session were defeated after failing to raise the requisite 145 MPs.

Trade minister and MP for Kipipiri Amos Kimunya withdrew all his 30 amendment motions.

The session was characterized by heated arguments between Orange Democratic Movement ODM and Party of National Unity PNU legislators as the events of post election violence were revisited.

An attempt by Lands Minister James Orengo to introduce provinces as the second level of devolution failed since only 107 MPs were present in the house at the time.

ODM members put up a spirited fight to support the amendment but their PNU counterparts fought hard to oppose it.

Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri claimed that the push for Majimbo by ODM during campaigns of the 2007 polls resulted to Post election chaos.

Chepalungu MP Isaack Ruto stood on a point of order to dispute the allegation by Kiunjuri accusing PNU of stealing the election thereby causing the violence.

Gichugu MP Martha Karua accused Ruto of double standards by claiming that the elections were stolen.

Speaker Kenneth Marende was forced to intervene ordering the three to withdraw their statements.

Voting on the proposed amendments continues.

There are a total of 179 proposals.

And as parliament votes on the proposals, civil society groups are calling on the legislators to vote wisely. Maendeleo ya Wananake Organization has said those divisions on what to amend was guided by tribalism and political interests.

Addressing the press in Nairobi, the organization's chairperson Rukia Subow appealed to MPs to support a new constitution for posterity

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