NCCK Secretary General Canon Peter Karanja during a past media briefing. [Photo/ the star.co.ke]
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has called for the amendment of Kenyan laws to allow for the expansion of the national executive.Addressing journalists in Limuru on Wednesday after a two-day retreat, NCCK Secretary General Canon Peter Karanja said the executive should be expanded by creating new positions to enable greater inclusivity and create wider ownership of government by Kenyan communities.Karanja also proposed the amendments to include the facilitation and funding of the opposition to enable it perform its watchdog role effectively. He said Kenya’s elections are always a heated affair due to its winner-takes-it-all model.Karanja further noted that that communities and party supporters in Kenya invest heavily in their presidential candidates’ during elections and hence raising the stakes in the races, a case that poses a threat to national peace.“The tension that is synonymous with Kenyan elections is due to its model where the winner takes it all and the loser walks home with nothing. This has to change if we are to make the country’s politics manageable,” he said.“To ensure further elections are peaceful, we urge leaders from both NASA and Jubilee to form a joint committee after the October 26 elections and deliberate on ways through with the current laws can be amended to allow for the formation of an inclusive government (bringing together the winners and losers),” he added.Karanja further called on political leaders to desist from interfering with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and allow it to prepare for the October 26 elections.He also urged Kenyans to maintain peace before, during and after the October 26 elections and ensure that even as they exercise their democratic right to vote, they do not infringe on the rights of others.“It is important that every Kenyan participates in fresh presidential election and vote for candidates of their choice peacefully while respecting those of a differing political stand.