Kenyan minister opposes motion on new law

Justice Minister Mutula Kilonzo says he would lead the government in opposing a motion by Kigumo MP Jamleck Kamau that seeks to compel the government to stop the August 4 referendum to allow for talks between the Yes and No teams.

The Motion seeks to get consensus over the contentious issues of land, bill of rights and Kadhis' courts that have been raised by the No camp.

Mutula says Kenyans should be allowed to make the decision to vote for or against the proposed Constitution in the referendum.

The minister further warned of a constitutional crisis if the proposed constitution is rejected at the referendum.

He said a rejection of the draft would not only stall key reforms but also hamper the formation of an electoral body to oversee elections in 2012.

"If we reject the constitution we will then not have an electoral body since the existing one is interim... There will therefore be no electoral body to conduct the 2012 elections which must take place after 28 months," he said.

The Interim Independent Electoral Commission has a life-span of 12 months under the current constitution and this ends in December 2010. This can only be altered through a constitutional amendment to the current constitution which requires a two-thirds majority.

However, the proposed constitution extends the life of the IIEC until the new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is established.

He was speaking shortly after receiving a 102 million grant from the Japanese government towards civic education.

Shiego Iwatani, Japanese ambassador to Kenya said Japan supported the referendum as it was crucial in solving the Agenda 4 issues of the National Accord and the stability of the nation.

"The Government of Japan hopes that utilization of the counterpart funds will contribute towards awareness of the proposed constitution, increase public participation in the review process and increase knowledge of the contents of the proposed leading to a peaceful and successful referendum where the voters would be able to make informed choices," Iwatani said.