Murkomen: The president and his or her deputy should not be elected as a pair

Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen is now suggesting that the president and his or her deputy should not be elected as a pair to “avert situations where the deputy president is fought left, right and center in the second term to ensure he or she does not succeed the Head of State”.

Murkomen made the remarks on his official Twitter page on Saturday, December 28.

“For as long as we ground our politics on deception and craftiness we shall be having first terms characterised by Obama-Biden bromance and second terms full of wrangles targeted at finishing the deputy president and the DP fighting for survival. We better scrap running mate position until we become honest,” said Murkomen, who was responding to Raila Odinga’s interview with Citizen Television.

In the interview aired on Friday, the ODM leader suggested that BBI recommendations should be rubber-stamped or rejected through a referendum and not Parliamentary action.

Raila said that for ex-officio MPs to be introduced into the National Assembly — as recommended in the BBI report — then only a referendum can lawfully approve that proposal, and not a ratification by MPs.

The ODM leader further said that the proposal to have MPs become ministers is “so fundamental” that only a referendum can ratify.

“Also, giving Parliament a role to vet and approve the prime minister, was not anticipated in the 2010 Constitution. [Therefore, a referendum is necessary to effect those changes],” said Odinga.

Those remarks seemed to rub Murkomen the wrong way, with the Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator terming Odinga as “crafty” in his push for a referendum.

Murkomen is for the idea that the BBI content be adopted through Parliamentary action, and not a referendum.

The senator is on the record saying that the suggestions in the BBI report, including the introduction of the PM post, were meant to stifle DP Ruto’s chances of ascending to the presidency.

For Murkomen’s suggestion – of doing away with the President-DP pair election arrangement – then Kenyans have to endorse it via a referendum, as that would change a significant provision in the Constitution.