PLAN TO REMOVE PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMIT

UDA Member of Parliament has announced plans to push for removal of the presidential term limit, stating that the ceiling should be on age rather than length of service. Fafi MP Salah Yakub has further revealed that some UDA legislators are already working on a constitutional amendment bill to eliminate the two-term limit and replace it with a 75-year age limit. If the MPs manage in their plan to ammend the constitution, the current President, Dr. William Ruto, would therefore be permitted to serve as president for four terms or for 20 years.

However Dr Ruto, 55, has not declared any desire to remain in office beyond the term limits stipulated in the constitution. But Mr. Yakub, claimed that negotiations about the plan to change the presidential term limit had been held at closed doors meetings. However he did not reveal the names of the MPs who were involved or whether the UDA party leadership had approved the plan. According to Mr. Yakub, the constitutional amendment Bill would be drafted by the proposers and sent to Parliament.

"We want to tell Kenyans that the limit on two terms should be re-looked. We want it to be changed to an age limit where when 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 and not terms. If a president is doing a good job, then he or she should not be limited by the terms," Yakub stated.