The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) held a consultative meeting at Christian Students’ Leadership Center, Ufungamano House, to reflect on the anticipated governance and electoral reforms proposed in the report of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) that was recently passed by Parliament and earmarked for implementation.
NCCK assessed the nine (9) Bills that are being processed by the National Assembly,
and taken into consideration the age-old definition of Democracy A government of the people, by the People, for the people.
Article 1 of the Constitution of Kenya clearly states that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya, and is exercised either directly or through democratically elected
representatives. The state organs are of themselves required to act in accordance with the Constitution.
For this reason, it is of absolute necessity that the Report of the National Dialogue
Committee be taken to the people of Kenya for validation before it is implemented.
NCCK calls upon Hon Moses Wetangula and Hon Amason Kingi, the speakers of National Assembly and Senate, to have the report published in a manner accessible to
all Kenyans. Secondly, the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee should hold sittings in the Counties to receive feedback from Kenyan citizens, and thereafter review the
Palriamentary Bills attendant to the NADCO report to reflect the wishes of the people.
We urge all our Members of Parliament and Senators to always remember the warning of God in Isaiah 10: 1 – 2
Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to
deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my
people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
National Dialogue Committee was established as a platform to negotiate political compromise to a crisis the politicians had conjured up in their perpetual
struggle for power and money. It is therefore a major concern for Kenyans that the National Assembly is seeking to effect the recommendations of the Committee, especially a massive review of the Constitution, without a recourse to the people of Kenya.
It is therefore a very major red flag for Kenyans that The Constitution of Kenya
(Amendment) Bill 2023 drafted as part of the NADCO report is seeking to amend 25
articles and add 6 new ones in the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
Having considered the governance and electoral reforms outlined in the Bills arising from the NADCO Report, we are of the considered opinion that some leaders are working towards subverting the will of the people.
NCCK calls upon all Kenyans to actively read and comment on the 9 Bills presented in the NADCO report and to demand that electoral reforms be focused on improving governance, accountability and legitimacy by:
Securing peaceful, free, fair and credible elections, safeguarding the performance and credibility of electoral institutions
Three, improving the participation and representation of the youth, women and persons with disabilities in elective bodies.
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