Moments after the official launching of the BBI report at the Bomas of Kenya, The Justice and Freedom Party has come out to oppose the report claiming that the report is creating an imperial President with powers over the Judiciary which is supposed to be an independent arm of the government.
Addressing the media in Nairobi, the Justice and Freedom party leader Justus Juma said with the report proposing the selection of an ombudsman by president, this gives the President powers to control the judiciary.
Juma said through the proposed prime minister position, who is an appointee of the President, the President will be having a foothold in parliament.
“We have observed that in this BBI, the winners are the reinvigorated powers of the imperial President who now have a foothold in parliament through the position of the prime minister, the judiciary through the ombudsman and more commissions. The BBI has made the current parliament unconstitutional, thereafter unable to undertake important functions such as constitutional review,” said Mr. Juma.
The party accuses the report for imposing more weight on Kenyans’ shoulders with introducing seats for ‘political losers’ adding that the document has failed to guarantee a level playing field among political parties.
“We have seen a decline of the economy under the jubilee government with sectors such as agriculture, hospitality, tourism, labor and SMEs we know what has happened to our industries in Kenya, they have been sacrificed at the altar of china deals. This means we are sailing in two different boats and a single YES vote at the referendum will push Kenya into imminent disaster. What we ask for is the implementation of the Ndung’u land report to open up our lands for agriculture,” added Juma.
The opposition from the party comes as President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga lead the launching of the report at the Bomas of Kenya drumming for massive support for the document by Kenyans.
Written by Jeremy Omondi