YES OR NO?

Rift Valley MPs will hold a meeting this week to chart the way forward on the Proposed Constitution.

The meeting is aimed at coming up with a common stand on the document ahead of the referendum.

Roads Minister Franklin Bett, who is the convener of the meeting, said leaders from the region should forge a united front on the document before the referendum.

Speaking at Cheplanget High School in his Bureti constituency on Saturday, Mr Bett said he had spoken to Cabinet colleagues William Ruto (Agriculture) and Henry Kosgey (Industrialisation) over the matter.

Bett said Mr Ruto agreed that as MPs from the region, they should sit and analyse the different positions taken by the rest of the country on the proposed new law.

"We wanted a three-tier government, which could have seen the creation of national government, regional governments and counties, but Parliament rejected our proposal," he added.

Joined churches

Environment Minister John Michuki has joined churches and other organisations agitating for rejection of the Proposed Constitution over abortion.

Mr Michuki said Christians were the majority in the country yet they were not consulted by the Committee of Experts to give their views on the Proposed Constitution.

"I have now declared my stand to join the churches to shoot down the Proposed Constitution, since I cannot be party to legalisation of abortion among other evils in the Proposed Constitution," said Michuki.

He said once passed at referendum, it would be difficult to make amendments to the constitution.

The minister noted that allowing uniformed forces to join trade unions was a recipe for chaos.

"No country has ever allowed its military and other forces to join unions as they are likely to demonstrate in the streets waving their guns," he said.

But speaking in Bondo, Finance Assistant Minister Oburu Odinga accused some church leaders of misleading their flock to reject the Proposed Constitution over Kadhis’ courts and abortion clauses.

MPs Edwin Yinda (Alego/Usonga) and Fred Outa (Nyando) supported Dr Oburu’s assertions.

"Propaganda by a section of the clergy that the Proposed Constitution is not good is misleading and should be ignored by the masses," added the Bondo MP.

Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony of Maranda Education Centre, Oburu said it would be useless for the country to throw away the new constitution simply because of the abortion and Kadhi courts issues.

"We in ODM support the Proposed Constitution and we want our supporters to register as voters in large numbers as we await the referendum," he said.