When President Uhuru Kenyatta once visited Nyeri, he cautioned the leaders from the Mount Kenya region to stop the 2022 succession politics debate and instead focus on working for their people. The President went as far as warning them that his 2022 pick will shock many.
Well, we are not yet in 2022 but it seems like the President is already starting to unleash political “bombshells”
The talk around the proposed referendum has been a thorny issue for the past few months with a section of leaders and Kenyans supporting it while others have openly opposed it.
Raila Odinga has been leading the Referendum push while Ruto has been leading an onslaught against it.
President Kenyatta on the other hand has for long ignored and avoided talks revolving around the referendum issue.
His visit to Kisumu yesterday though gave Kenyans a hint of what to expect as the 2022 Presidential race hits up. The President, gave the clearest signal yet that the country could be headed for a referendum to scrap what he termed a destructive “winner-takes-all” system of government.
Uhuru said the current presidential system was unfairly excluding some communities from leadership.
The President said it was necessary to have a government structure that accommodates even election losers to prevent the bitterness among Kenyans that has triggered post-poll violence.
“We said we must look at this issue of winner takes all. If that is why some people feel left out of government, we must ask ourselves, ‘Is is a good thing or not’,” said Uhuru.
Uhuru’s remarks came just days after a leaked internal paper by Raila’s ODM Party revealed that the ex-Prime Minister was pushing for radical amendments, including a Parliamentary-type system of government.
Deputy President William Ruto, who was present during the Kisumu visit, has strongly opposed any law change and the President’s hint is likely to put him in a tight corner. He wants to be President in 2022.
Uhuru, who was for the first time wildly cheered in Nyanza, said the exclusion from government was fueling grand corruption.
Should William Ruto be a worried man after Uhuru’s remarks on the Referendum?