Kenya should only support a referendum that guarantees its citizens a better country devoid of tribalism, corruption and a high cost of living, Gladys Chania says.
Chania, a Kiambu-based politician notes that even as the referendum wave heats up in the country, Kenyans should only vote for that which will improve governance and promote equality in all spheres.
Speaking on Friday when contacted, Chania who doubles up as a Child and Adult psychologist observed that the third referendum should solely focus on tribalism, wage bill and corruption.
“We acknowledge that our politics is highly tribal - one of the reasons why we do not have regional balance in the sharing of the national cake. This is a nightmare in our governance system and the ripple effect is that Kenyans lose out in development and have no say on governance matters,” states Chania.
According to Chania, the referendum should be tailored in a way that it promotes inclusivity in leadership and also in cutting down the wage bill by scrapping nominated positions in Parliament and the Senate.
Further, she proposes that there should be a clause in the referendum that advocates for “a standard and transparent pay for all workers which can be realised by sealing all corruption loopholes.”
Opposition leader Raila Odinga is the father of the looming referendum. He has overtime, called for constitutional change citing that Kenya’s development has been hurdled by impediments contained in the 2010 Constitution which came to effect after the March 4, 2013 polls.
Last month, Raila asked Kenyans to brace themselves for a referendum before the 2022 general elections.
Among the things he wants to be fixed is the electoral process which includes revamping the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and the scrapping of the current presidential system of governance to a Parliamentary system which could see the return of the prime minister’s position.
Politicians from both Jubilee and NASA have drummed up support for the referendum noting time has come for changes in Kenya’s governance.
IEBC has already released a Sh12 billion budget for the intended plebiscite.
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