The government has sought to ease concerns over alleged plans to change Kenya’s current Constitution, saying any decision to amend the law will ultimately depend on what Kenyans want.

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Government Spokesperson Charles Owino said the administration had not committed to changing the Constitution as part of the proposed Vision 2060, amid growing anger and mixed reactions over suggestions that the country’s long-term development blueprint could trigger a fresh constitutional review.

Owino was responding to questions on whether the government would consider recent calls by a section of politicians for constitutional changes to align the country’s legal framework with the prospects of a new national development vision during an interview on Ramogi TV .

“We cannot say that we will change the Constitution. This will all depend on what the citizens want,” Owino said, noting that Kenyans had previously undertaken constitutional changes through various processes.

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“You remember the constitutional changes Kenya has undertaken in the past. We can, as citizens, decide that we are tired of the presidential system and replace it with a parliamentary system or do away with devolution,” he added.

Owino, however, pointed to what he described as shortcomings in the implementation of the 2010 Constitution, arguing that more than a decade after its promulgation, some of its provisions had not worked in favour of Kenyans.

He cited devolution and the challenges facing health workers as examples of areas where the current constitutional framework had faced difficulties, arguing that the experience could inform discussions on whether changes were necessary.

His remarks come a day after President William Ruto placed the Constitution at the centre of discussions on Vision 2060 during the launch of the national conversation on Kenya’s long-term development plan, Beyond Vision 2030, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.

The event brought together more than 5,000 delegates from all 47 counties for consultations on the proposed Vision 2060, with Ruto noting that Vision 2030 had been formulated before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution .

“When Vision 2030 was developed, it was developed before the new Constitution. The new Constitution provides us with a better and clearer framework on how to think long-term, and therefore it is important that we engage in this exercise in the context of a new Constitution,” Ruto said.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke