CIVIC EDUCATION

Prime Minister Raila Odinga is urging Kenyans to attend the civic education sessions being carried out by the Committee of Experts on the draft constitution.

This Odinga says will ensure they are not misled by those opposed to the proposed new constitution. On the issue of land that the No camp is citing as contentious, Odinga says the the proposed constitution has dealt with the matter in a manner that will ensure that historical land injustices are corrected.

Speaking in Nairobi, the Prime Minister said the draft recognizes the importance of providing land dispute resolution mechanisms.

He said many Kenyans have been robbed of their right to own land due to abuse of the court process which he notes will be a thing of the past once the new constitution is in place.

Some opponents of the draft have used the emotive land issue to push for the rejection of the draft claiming that the government would have control over private land while opposing the clause which gives parliament the mandate to legislate on minimum and maximum land ownership.

Meanwhile the No group now wants funds from the government to run their campaigns. Mutito Member of Parliament Kiema Kilonzo says the proposed constitution is a government project and there should be a fair share of resources for both parties to conduct their campaigns.

The question of funding for both the no and yes teams has been an issue of heated debate with the naysayers accusing the yes camp of allegedly using taxpayers money for their campaigns.

Kilonzo says there should be a level playing ground since those opposing the document were also taxpayers.

Elsewhere former Justice Minister Martha Karua took the ‘Yes' campaign to Naivasha where she met church and political leaders and urged the latter to soften their stance for the sake of national unity.

The Gichugu MP said the proposed constitution was timely coming at a time when the government was undertaking various reforms.

Karua at the same time added her voice to those calling for the prosecution of those responsible in attempting to alter the draft constitution.

She said the government printer was a highly guarded institution and whoever inserted the words was a senior government official who should be named and shamed in public.