The proposed governance change by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is already getting resistant in Mt Kenya, with leaders eager to shoot it down.
For weeks now, Mr Odinga has hinted his expected position in constitutional changes, pushing for Parliamentary system which will see introduction of Prime Minister post.
The country is anxiously waiting for Building Bridges Initiative report which is expected to recommend for a referendum that will be held before 2022.
Although a few leaders from Central Kenya like Governor Anne Waiguru are supporting Raila's push, some leaders have given the push a cold shoulder.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria insists that the Mt Kenya region will not accept Parliamentary system until the number of constituencies in the region are increased due to population.
“This is a region that has slightly above 6 million of the country’s 18 million voters, yet when it comes to constituencies, they have only 64 of the 290. It is clearly not tenable to have a parliamentary system with such a glaring injustice. Simply put, a presidential system is here to stay,” he says.
Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina says a push for a parliamentary system is one that cannot resonate well with the electorate in Central Kenya, as they feel that the constituencies, as demarcated, disadvantages them from the rest of the country, as many of them have huge populations and even more registered voters compared to other regions.
“As it is now, some constituencies have about 200,000 registered voters, while others have as few as 20,000, yet in Parliament they have an equal vote. This is an abuse of representation and that is why we feel as Central Kenya that a parliamentary system would place us at a disadvantage,” said Maina.
Narc-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua calls the entire clamour for changes unnecessary, saying Kenyans should be more focused on full implementation of the 2010 Constitution instead.
“If we are unable to fully implement the Constitution we have, it is needless to even contemplate changing it. I have not seen any need to alter anything in the Constitution,” says Ms Karua.