The Kenyan Supreme Court is set to rule on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s proposal to make sweeping constitutional changes on Thursday, ahead of crucial elections in August, reported Reuters.
The High Court and the Court of Appeal had rejected the proposed amendments popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) last year, prompting the Kenyan government to appeal. The court declared the process used in proposing constitutional amendments illegal, blocking a planned referendum.
The proposal aims to expand the executive and would be the biggest change to Kenya’s political system since the introduction of a new constitution in 2010.
The Supreme Court is expected to settle seven questions raised by appellants, including whether the president acted illegally by initiating the amendments to the constitution.
A seven-judge bench at the Supreme Court will weigh the legality of the wide-ranging proposals. If approved by the Kenyan top court, the ruling could lead to the creation of 70 new parliamentary constituencies including the establishment of several powerful new posts- a prime minister, two deputies, and an official leader of the parliamentary opposition. The sweeping changes would increase the number of parliamentarians from 290 to 360.
Notably, Kenyatta and his deputy president, William Ruto, have publicly clashed over the proposals. Ruto, who is running for the presidency in the August presidential poll, continues to oppose the changes. But Kenyatta is backing his former foe, veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is in support of the amendments.
Ruto said the constitutional changes will create an all-powerful presidency by giving the Tunisian president control of the judiciary through a proposed office of a judicial ombudsman. He pointed out that the proposal will also put the legislature under the president’s thumb because he will control the appointment to the new posts to be created, including the prime minister.
