President Uhuru Kenyatta is setting himself up for a big fail by stating that he will sign a law to have vandals who destroy infrastructure projects hanged.
Political analyst Mark Bichachi says the president has no such powers and might be criticised heavily if such offences occur and he is unable to act due to constitutional limitations.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, Bichachi said, "One thing that is clear is that the president is just making political pronouncements that have no constitutional backing.
Destruction of public property according to the penal code remains a misdemeanour. How the president elevates this to become a capital offence is what I don't get."
He, however, argued that the announcement may portray a good political will from the side of the government to all the stakeholders and players who have invested in the SGR.The analyst also added that the launch of the rail ahead of the Madaraka Day celebrations was a clever move that might earn the Jubilee government a huge political capital."You know many Kenyans have a huge emotional attachment to Madaraka day because it gives them a sense of freedom and belonging. Even the naming of the inaugural train as Madaraka Express is another smart move for Jubilee, and the fares at Sh700 is also quite populist" he added.