Kisii leaders support Maraga call to dissolve Parliament

 

Kisii politicians led by Governor James Ongwae have called for the dissolution of Parliament, saying adherence to the Constitution is not optional.

Chief Justice David Maraga last month advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament, citing failure to enact legislation on the two-thirds gender rule. 

The President has yet to act on the advisory.

Speaking in South Mugirango on Friday, Ongwae said the President should act as advised because the "Constitution is no ordinary piece of paper idling in the shelves but a solid framework that offers the country direction in matters of governance".

“As a leader myself, my take is that the Constitution is not an ornament in the country’s social and political fabric. This is a set of laws that should be respected and that is why we throw our weight behind the advice by the Chief Justice,” Ongwae said.

He was with Deputy Governor Joash Maangi and area MP Sylvanus Osoro. They were in Etago where Maraga was inaugurating a new court.

The leaders said there are no shortcuts to compliance with the Constitution but strict adherence to its dictates.

“There is only one way and that is why we maintain that the president should stand guided,” Ongwae said.

Maangi said it was imperative that the House is dissolved in accordance with Maraga’s advisory so that the electorate can pick a different set of legislators who can implement the contentious gender rule.

“Let us not create an unnecessary circus on this issue. The spirit and letter of the Constitution is made alive in its obedience by the leaders and the citizenry. So let the President go ahead and dissolve the House,” Maangi said.

Osoro said he supported the CJ’s advice but said it should be first established if Parliament had failed in its mandate.

“If we have failed, then let the President go ahead and heed the CJ’s advice. I don’t have any problem with the electorate because they will still elect me,” the South Mugirango lawmaker said.

Maraga however steered clear of the debate and instead urged Kenyans to use alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to address land disputes.

He said court outcomes sometimes fracture the peace that exists among households and thus the need to have cases surrounding land successions to be heard within the home environments.