A section of Kenyan legislators are mooting a plan to introduce constitutional amendments to scrap term limits on presidency.
The Kenyan constitution 142(2) strictly limits a president to service of two five-year terms in office which the MPs say should instead be swapped with age-limit which was lifted in 2004.
The group of legislators led by Fafi MP Salah Yakub a member of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) want the provision on the two-term limit for presidency revised to remove roadblocks for a president who is “doing a good job” -local media reported on Tuesday.
We want to tell Kenyans that the limit on two terms (for president) should be relooked. We want it to be changed to Age-limit where one gets to 75 years then he or she cannot contest. We will come up with an amendment bill to try to change this because we want the requirement to be on age limit not on terms. If the president is doing a good job, then he or she should not be limited by terms’ Fafi MP Salah Yakub said.
The lawmaker said the plan has massive support within the ruling party and amendments will be tabled soon.
Hailed as a strong democracy in Africa, the East African country recently witnessed a colorful handover of power from Uhuru Kenyatta to Dr William Ruto after the latter’s two-year term elapsed.
If the amendment goes through, it will give Ruto a chance to serve four terms. Kenya will also join majority of African countries like Uganda, Rwanda, CAR, Cameroon, Burundi among others.