Kenya Catholic bishops rubbish presidential term extension bid

NAIROBI, Kenya

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has rubbished the proposal to increase Presidential terms from five to seven years.

The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, sponsored by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei seeks to amends Article 136 of the Constitution, giving not only the President but also governors and MPs, seven-year terms.

Addressing a press conference in Ruaraka, Nairobi County on Thursday, Catholic bishops condemned the proposal as selfish and baffling.

“There are plans to rush the bill through legislation. A two-term limit of 10 years is adequate, we should scrutinize this political move,” KCCB said.

The clergy said political leaders should focus on tackling other matters they described as more concerning among Kenyans, such as education and healthcare crises and high unemployment rates among the youth.

Senator Cherargei’s proposal – which he claims a majority of Kenyans support – is a reincarnation of his similar bid last year, shelved due to public uproar. 

In the bishops’ view, there is “massive greed” among political leaders and Kenyans are increasingly losing trust in President William Ruto’s government.

At the same time, KCCB condemned Ruto’s government’s “burdensome” tax regime, including recent revenue-raising proposals the government has tabled to compensate the deficit caused by the withdrawal of the Finance Bill 2024 after sustained street protests.

The bishops said Ruto’s government is overtaxing Kenyans.

“It seems to be a hidden way of reintroduction the rejected Finance Bill 2024, we should listen to the cry of Kenyans,” they told the government.

Catholic bishops also joined rights groups and foreign envoys in condemning the abduction cases across the country, stating that it is in violation of human rights and freedom of speech.

Since the height of the June protests against President William Ruto’s government, several outspoken bloggers, activists, and social media users have been violently captured by suspected state security agents.

Some have ended up being found dead, while the whereabouts of several others remain unknown.

Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja last week told Parliament that 29 of the people reported missing since June are still missing, but denied the National Police Service’s involvement in the abductions.

Similarly, the Catholic bishops termed as worrying the increased femicide cases, in which at least 97 women and girls have been killed across the country in the last three months as of October 30, according to police.