FRESH ROW HITS CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW TEAM
Published on 05/10/2009
By Gakuu Mathenge - Standard
Published on 05/10/2009
Pressure is mounting on the Committee of Experts (CoE) on Constitutional Review, with the Reference Group threatening to take action for "being taken for granted".
On Thursday, the group pulled a surprise on the committee led by Chairman Nzamba Kitonga when it used the first meeting with CoE to lay ground rules for engagement.
The group says it will come up with its own timetable to engage the law review experts.
And there was some drama during their inaugural meeting at a Nairobi hotel.
The Reference Group comprising professionals, civil society, religious sector, trade unions, business lobbies and Law Society of Kenya asked the committee members to step out to allow them hold a closed door meeting.
Bishop elected
They then elected Catholic Bishop Philip Sulumeti the Reference Group chair and LSKs Evans Monari as secretary.
Next, the group invited the CoE members back, announced its new leadership and laid down its preferred mode of engagement.
First, they tasked the CoE Executive Director Ekuru Aukot to organise an urgent meeting between him, Sulumeti and Mr Monari to map out a structured system through which the group and CoE would engage.
Second, they tasked Dr Aukot to circulate all the submissions made so far by the various groups and all copies of the CoE Hansard and verbatim proceedings to them to familiarise with the progress.
The move took the CoE by surprise, as no other group had asserted itself in such a manner.
The group is the third stakeholder to claim unsatisfactory handling of the review process by the CoE. Political parties and the evangelical churches have been demanding dialogue over the contentious Kadhis courts.
Two weeks ago, some political parties issued a statement claiming cavalier conduct on the part of CoE and warned failure to consult parties could jeopardise the review.
The parties complained the committee failed to circulate Hansard proceedings of the Mombasa retreat despite having committed to do so.
The Reference Groups move followed another surprise decision by a member of the CoE, Ms Njoki Ndungu, to withdraw her participation from its official proceedings. She claimed the committee was conducting some of its business outside its mandate.
|