Kibwezi West Member of Parliament Mwengi Mutuse has proposed fundamental changes in Presidential elections just one year after the 2022 General Election.
In what he argues will cure the “Winner takes it all” the lawmaker has proposed that all presidential candidates vie as Members of Parliament.
In a letter to the ongoing bi-partisan talks between Kenyan Kwanza and the opposition side, the first-time lawmaker argued that the proposed Office of the Leader of Opposition would not cure the winner-take-it-all animosity that has been undoing Kenya’s politics after every election.
The Maendeleo Chap Chap MP emphasized that adopting his proposals would promote inclusivity and ensure that popular presidential candidates who don’t emerge victorious at the polls are not left out in the cold.
“To address concerns of inclusion of the Opposition, I propose allowing presidential candidates to also run for membership in the National Assembly,” Mutuse recommended.
According to Mutuse, the existing limitations barring a President from running as an MP have greatly disadvantaged the majority of opposition leaders in the country.
This he said had left them without a significant role in the affairs of the country and without an official forum to articulate alternative policies forcing them to revert to protests to share their ideas.
“This has resulted in a situation where the leaders of the Opposition, who were unsuccessful in the presidential election, are left without a significant role in the affairs of State and even worse without an official forum other than public rallies to articulate alternative policies, positions and ideas or hold the government in power accountable,” said Mutuse.
Before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, it was mandatory for all presidential candidates to vie as Members of Parliament.
