THE MULTISECTORAL NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
Posted | 2010-06-30
Author/Source | Yes Team and CMD-Kenya

THE MULTISECTORAL NATIONAL CAMPAIGN WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING:

OUR RESPONSE TO ATTEMPTS TO DERAIL, DISRUPT OR DELAY THE REFERENDUM ON THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION.
30th June 2010

CMD-Kenya together with the Multi-sectoral National YES Campaign Committee holds these media briefings on a weekly basis targeting emerging issues towards a New Constitutional dispensation for Kenya. We have 35 days to the referendum.

We wish the Prime Minister quick recovery and God speed. As guarantor of the National Accord, the nation needs him well and in office to serve with dedication and diligence.

This week; our focus is on highlighting and alerting Kenyans on the clumsy and ill motivated plans to delay, derail, disrupt and hopefully defeat the referendum on the proposed constitution being perpetrated by the anti reform forces who have found a haven amidst those with legitimate concerns on the proposed constitution.

1. Politicians in the NO camp, isolated elements in the security community, politically minded and unpatriotic church leaders, anti-reform forces within the YES movement and irresponsible members of the civil society, professions and the press are the main schemers of the delay, derail or disruption movement. Hon. William Ruto has been lying openly to Kenyans that if they vote No, they will have another referendum in December this Year and the media has not challenged to explain how this shall be possible once the current law expires and the Grand Coalition government resigns as the NO group have demanded.

2. The Multi Sectoral Yes National Campaign notes the tactics of scare mongering, intolerance and hate speech which have characterized the national debate on the proposed constitution are key prongs in the attempts to derail this crucial national process by creating unwarranted and unfounded tensions among Kenyans. We however note that the National Cohesion Commission has moved in to rein in these hate-mongers and people who are deliberately lying to Kenyans instead of educating them on what is contained in the proposed constitution.

3. The strategy of insertion of the satanic verse “National Security” in the Proposed Constitution, The tragic Uhuru Park grenade attack that killed innocent Kenyans and the general circulation of leaflets in the Rift Valley to scare members of certain ethnic communities are criminal acts that seek to scare off or actually maim Kenyans for taking a position on the constitution. The Security agencies in the country are the suspects in this dirty tactics. How come our police have not arrested suspects? How come the AG is not Prosecuting suspects or ordering inquiries into these serious crimes?

4. The Third strategy that is now in place is the attempt to use the courts to either delay, disrupt or totally derail the referendum. The courts have already been used to hand down seriously divisive and almost activist judgments as was the case in the Kadhi’s Courts ruling which was obviously timed to achieve a certain political end. The Okoiti Omtata and others case, where a few citizens want to have a more elevated role in determining the contents of the Proposed Constitution, well after the negotiations had been completed and a political settlement reached by Kenyans is offensive and cynical. The Multi-Sectoral YES campaign has gone to court to challenge the application of these Kenyans which is intended, in our view, to derail or delay the process of constitution review.

5. Similarly, there are politicians in the YES camp who are inciting hostile response to civic education and campaigns for the Proposed Constitution in their backyards. We wish to request Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta and Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka to take deliberate actions to call on citizens in their backyards to allow civic education and YES campaigns to go on without resistance. We also call upon former President Mr. Daniel Moi and Hon. William Ruto to desist from making utterances that make it difficult for Kenyans to campaign in Rift Valley. We call on Hon. Koigi Wa Wamwere to desist from reducing the constitutional review pursuit to a pro or anti-Raila process because it is not. We also call upon the President, the Prime Minister and other YES allied politicians to desist from making the referendum and the constitutional review process look like a government project because it is not.

The President and The Prime Minister are the guarantors of the National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement (NARA) and as guarantors; they enjoined the Grand Coalition government in facilitating the delivery of the National Accord and particularly Agenda Number Four. This is their status in the review process.

6. Finally we call upon Kenyans to individually take responsibility for the delivery of the new democratic constitution to ourselves as it is clear in the Preamble of the Proposed Constitution. Kenyans should not wait on President Kibaki, The Prime Minister, The Vice President, William Ruto, Daniel Moi or their Bishops to tell them how to vote. The referendum vote is personal. It is the only vote which a Kenyan casts for himself or herself. Not every generation gets the honor to vote for themselves as this generation of registered voters shall have on August 4, 2010. For us therefore to Vote NO will be like scoring an own goal against your nation in order to teach the coach a lesson.

The Multi-sectoral National YES campaign calls on all Kenyans to stand in unity in condemning the forces of anti reform and in remaining vigilant; reminded that we are a great nation that has resolved to give to ourselves and our future generations this progressive and democratic constitution.

Signed by:

1. Prof. Larry Gumbe, Chair CMD-Kenya

2. Mr. Peter Kariuki, Executive Director, Socio- Economic Rights Foundation,

3. Alice Wahome, Vice-Chair CMD-Kenya

4. Haron Ndubi, Executive Director, Haki Focus

5. Cyprian Nyamwamu, National Convention Executive Council,

6. Njeri Kabeberi, Executive Director, CMD-Kenya

The Multi-sectoral National YES Campaign Committee is an inclusive Multi-sectoral committee which brings together all sectors of our nation including political parties, civil society organizations, religious sectors, private sector and professional association with the objective of promoting reform agenda in particular the Constitution review.