NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has expressed his support for Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga’s recent call for a review of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya.
Kuria emphasized the need to revisit the Bomas Draft Constitution, which he believes was the foundation for the original constitutional discussions but has since been diluted.
In a statement released on Sunday, Kuria criticized the country’s political experiments following the rejection of the Bomas Draft.
He pointed out that initiatives such as the Grand Coalition government, the Handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, and the current broad-based government are temporary solutions that have not addressed the root issues.
“I fully support Raila Odinga’s call for a return to the Bomas Draft. Over the last 19 years since the rejection of Bomas, we have gone in circles with artificial experiments like the Grand Coalition, Handshake, and now Broad-Based Government. We have skirted around to avoid the inevitable,” Kuria said on social media platform.
Kuria pledged his full support for a national constitutional conference aimed at reviving the Bomas Draft, stating, “I will offer my full devotion and commitment towards a National Constitutional conference towards the Bomas Draft.”
Raila Odinga’s call for a constitutional review came during a speech at the burial of Lawyer Evans Orwenjo in Alego Usonga on Saturday.
The opposition leader highlighted the need for a comprehensive examination of the current constitution to address existing gaps and ensure it reflects the aspirations of all Kenyans.
Raila noted that the original Bomas Draft Constitution, created after extensive consultations with the public, was altered during the Naivasha process. He argued that these changes compromised the document’s progressive nature.
“Kenyans met at the Bomas of Kenya and deliberated for a very long time and came up with a very progressive constitution. That constitution was bastardized to a certain extent during the so-called Naivasha process,” Raila said.
A section of Kenyans are however opposed to the new clamour by politicians to amend the constitution.