Atwoli affirms a constitution change will be in place before the next general elections

COTU Secretary general Dr. Francis Atwoli has affirmed that Kenya will have a new Constitution come 2020 ahead of the next general elections that will ensure that leadership is shared among all to promote peace after the exercise. Atwoli was speaking at Bukhungu stadium as he addressed the Embrace Kenya rally that was led by women leaders from all over the country.

He said that the new Constitution is intended to equitably share the big cake for all to benefit and shun the post elections conflicts. He assured the women leaders that the new Constitution won’t be in place to scrap off their leadership positions adding that women leaders have performed well and need to be given a platform to compete for even better positions. “The next president will be determined by members of embrace the handshake and not those people who started early campaigns,” said Atwoli.

He added that there is a need for unity of purpose to determine those who support the handshake. He further called upon the national assembly to keenly go through Swarup Mishra’s health bill proposal before passing it. The bill intends to regulate Kenyans’ medical referrals abroad. Atwoli argued that what the government needs to do is to come up with a memorandum of understanding with countries in a position to diagnose and treat diseases like cancer to ensure that Kenyans can affordably access treatment when diagnosed.

Citing the neighbouring countries as an example Atwoli said blocking Kenyans from accessing treatment abroad is subjecting them to health facilities and doctors that are not equipped to handle a number of cases and thus a death sentence. “What Kenyans need is affordable treatment and not being blocked from receiving the same,” he said.

The women leaders led by Kakamega woman representative Elsie Muhanda called upon Kenyans to practice unity. They ridiculed the Third way Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot for fighting women leadership in his Punguza Mizigo initiative.