Cord's Okoa Kenya still working on signatures

WAIT A MINUTE: Cord leader Raila Odinga with ODM executive director Oduor Ong?wen and head of the Okoa Kenya referendum team Paul Mwangi at Eka Hotel on March 31, 2015 Photo/COLLINS KWEYU

August 18, 2015

BY OLIVER MATHENGE

      

CORD's Okoa Kenya Committee of Experts is still putting together
signatures for their planned referendum to amend the constitution.

Okoa Kenya chairman Paul Mwangi yesterday told the Star they are still keying data for presentation to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

"It is a tedious job but we hope to be done by the end of August. The bill is ready and we are just putting together the signatures. After that we will go to the IEBC straight away," Mwangi said.

The Senate Select Committee on Legal and Constitutional
Review will also meet later in the week, with a plan to make their referendum quest public at the end
of the month.

Last Thursday, the senators agreed to finalise their work by the
end of the month and report back to the Senate before the upcoming recess.

In June, senators formed the committee chaired by Kipchumba Murkomen of Elgeyo Marakwet to push for a referendum to empower the Senate.

The committee is mandated to audit the constitution, table the report in the House and come up with a bill for the referendum for the independence of crucial devolution institutions.

Meanwhile, Council of Governors chairman Peter Munya has said their Pesa Mashinani campaign is still on course
and they will not relent.

He said the national government still undermines devolution by denying it the funds needed to ensure more development.

"We
must secure the percentage that must be remitted to the
county governments in the supreme law. Having 40 per cent to 45 per cent
is sufficient to run counties. The national government is denying us
about Sh280 billion, which can be useful in transforming lives," Munya
said.

- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/cords-okoa-kenya-still-working-signatures#sthash.fa3Nd8KX.dpuf