The National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK) through its General Secretary Canon Peter Karanja has proposed the expansion of the executive to create the post of Prime Minister. While addressing the press in Nairobi, Peter Karanja outlined their proposals going forward after the repeat poll, “We recommend that Kenyans through the parliament should amend the constitution of 2010 to provide for an expansion of an executive to provide for the President to appoint a Prime Minister and two deputies,” said Karanja.
He added that the Prime Minister and the deputies will sit on the cabinet and answer questions in parliament, “These positions can be given other names,” he outlined. However, he reiterated that this doesn’t signify the formation of a ‘Nusu Mkate’ government, rather, it will help to create an inclusive government.
Moreover, he called for the restoration of the position of the leader of the official opposition as it was in the old constitution, together with the position of deputy leader of official opposition in parliament. “The positions will be occupied by nominees of political party or coalition which meets the set criteria,” said the NCCK General Secretary.
The position of the NCCK concerning dialogue was also revealed by the General Secretary, who affirmed their support for a dialogue process, “We note and support calls for a dialogue by all actors to solve the underlying problems that can’t be resolved through elections,” he said, “We applaud the President’s move, who said that after the whole electoral process and the official conclusion of this election issues, he will reach out to dialogue. We hope it will be a national affair and all Kenyans will be included.”
He condemned police brutality on innocent Kenyans, saying even though the tough conditions security forces go through are well known, they shouldn’t use excessive force when dealing with protestors or when trying to restore peace and calm.