Minister dismisses disciplinary threats

Higher education minister William Ruto has turned the heat on the ODM party leadership over plans to discipline him for opposing the recently endorsed constitution.

At the same time MPs who campaigned against the new constitution have vowed to push for amendments even as it became increasingly clear such a feat would be hard to accomplish.

The team that led the opposition to the new constitution commonly referred to as the Red team on Saturday held a thanksgiving ceremony following the just concluded referendum vote.

Over 10 members of parliament and government ministers opposed to various clauses of the new constitution though conceding defeat warned that all was not lost and the real battle to amend the newly acquired constitution was just beginning.

"We want the concerns of the 2.7 million Kenyans who voted against the ratified constitution be immediately addressed so that they can unreservedly support the new constitutional dispensation," said Ruto.

"The constitution is a property of all Kenyans, it does not belong to the six million people who voted for it," he added.

With majority of those opposed to the new law deriving their membership from the Orange Democratic Movement ODM, the MPs turned the heat on the party leadership following a resolution to discipline them for going against the party policy by opposing the new law.

On Thursday, ODM Secretary General Anyang' Nyong'o said stern action would be taken against Mr Ruto and his group for going against the party's position to support the document that was ratified by a majority of Kenyans last week.

The MPs also dismissed efforts to exclude them from the Parliamentary Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee terming them perverse and ill advised.