Participants during the submission of views on the impeachment motion of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in West Pokot yesterday took hours engaging in civic education and giving varied opinions over the matter after submitting their forms.
They lauded the National Assembly for coming up with the approach of public participation before the special motion saying such weighty matters have to seek the opinions of members of the public and should never be rushed. They added that such forums will always attract diversions where participants can forward their grievances to their leaders even if it is not related to the impeachment motion.
Several speakers expressed their dismay over the absence of their elected leaders whom they suggested should have been present to understand the moods of their constituents so that they can vote wisely when the motion is tabled before the assembly.
“It is not a good show that the people who represent us locally and at the national level, and whose vote will count are conspicuously absent. We have been here since morning but none of them has showed up as we approach the end of the session,” said Dickson Rotich.
Rotich, who is a Sengwer Council of Elders official, said such a forum would assist the leaders to document issues affecting their constituents rather than just be told to sign the impeachment template. He said the situation in the country is experiencing the need for an amendment of the Constitution such that the president is given powers to appoint and fire their deputy whenever they misbehave.
“The constitution should also direct that the Deputy President is picked from the minority groups not just from the majority groups which seem to breed supremacy wars between the two elected leaders,” stated Sengwer elder. Another participant Ronald Rono suggested that elders and religious leaders should be selected from the 47 counties to arbitrate in case there are any misunderstandings among leaders instead of going the impeachment way for it may cause rifts.
Rono called for equality in resource distribution so that not just a few own lots of resources as others wallow in poverty explaining that inequality is bound to breed divisions amongst Kenyans.