Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) CEO Ezra Chiloba has poked holes into the Punguza Mizigo initiative, terming it a populist push.
Through the initiative, Thirdway Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot seeks to reduce the number of elective positions, claiming that the same will in return reduce cost of running government.
But speaking on Tuesday, Chiloba dismissed the bill, observing that it's hiding behind the wage bill issue for Kenyans backing.
“On the contrary, the Office of the Auditor General undertook a study on the impact of the 2010 Constitution and concluded that on the whole the cost of running Government had risen, but the increment was not significantly different from the previous period,” he said in an article that was seen by the Standard.
“Punguza Mizigo Bill does not show how the proposed changes would actually lower the cost of Government. Further, the initiative ignores the findings of the Auditor General inviting policy makers to look at the entire public sector in order to arrive at the most optimal interventions," Chiloba and his team opined.
The article which is co-authored by Abdnego Ominde, Bridget Ndong and Moses Kipkosgey claimed the problem lies in money wastage within the government and not the posts.
"The public concerns about the expensive nature of the Constitution are much the result of increasing wastage of public resources at both levels of government. The growth of public wage bill is certainly a matter of concern," it reads.
Some of the proposals in the initiative include, transformation of the 47 counties into constituencies, which will be represented by two persons, a male and a female.