This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
On August 14, 2019, the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga marked a significant turning point in Kenya's political landscape.
However, the architecture surrounding the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) remains unclear, with critics arguing that it lacks a clear legal framework and is therefore prone to collision with its critics.
The BBI's proposed plebiscite has sparked debate about the trajectory of Kenya, with some arguing that it is a personalization of a national agenda.
One of the key issues surrounding the BBI is the proposed expansion of the Executive, which has clouded other fundamental questions about Kenya's Constitution.
Members of the National Assembly and senators have lamented the condescending attitude of Cabinet Secretaries who ignore summons to appear before parliamentary committees.
This has led to calls for a shift from the presidential system to a hybrid or parliamentary system, which would provide checks and balances on the Executive.
However, opponents of this idea argue that it would be a negation of the principle of separation of powers.
The recent squabbles between the Senate and the National Assembly over the Division of Revenue Bill are a clear indication that devolution is at risk.
Devolution is a key socioeconomic equalizer, and it is essential that the devolved resources are increased to 45% and clearly outlined in law.
The rampant graft in Kenya has found two steady sources of sustenance: the capital-intensive budget and the obscene intimacy between public office and personal interests.
The Ndung'u Report laid bare how top political figures arbitrarily acquired and dished out public land to their cronies, and how government officials skew up procurement processes to enrich themselves.
If a referendum is to be held, it must fully address these issues to stop convex-bellied politicians and hawk-eyed tenderpreneurs from self-aggrandizement and enriching themselves at the expense of hardworking Kenyan taxpayers.
It is essential to ban the idea of public officials doing business with government and to make public service less lucrative.
Kenya's national debt, which is hiking towards 5.8 trillion and translating to almost 69% of GDP, must be a source of concern to us.
Half of our revenue cannot be channelled to service our debt yet there is an underlying paralysis in public service.
The upcoming referendum must robustly speak to the prudent management of our debt by setting a cap in law on the amount of money we can borrow and seeking parliamentary approval or disapproval before going for foreign loans.
