Referendum: 11 Reasons Why We Do Not NEED This Selfish Move By Selfish Leaders

By Steve Biko Wafula / Published October 22, 2018 | 12:35 pm

Thomas Jefferson put it aptly that the will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object.

I believe our elected leaders have lost the moral responsibility to act on our behalf as the people of the Republic of Kenya.

Our leaders got to office through a flawed and fraudulent electoral process that ultimately denied them the moral authority to load it over us and in return, they have embarked on a serious journey of looting and bankrupting the country.

To cover up their greedy and looting ways, they have used parliament as a tool to commit legal crimes against Kenyans by imposing taxes on virtually everything without any accountability, fiscal prudence, proper policy implementation and lack of any proper economic venture to spur growth.

It is official. God has abandoned us to our own devices because of the shame of our greed and lack of empathy for those in need. As I have said, the first thing is, to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.

Great peacemakers are people of integrity, honesty, and humility. This is something that is alien and repugnant to our leadership. In fact, right now, it’s like they are united in looting this country till kingdom come.

The current leadership is the worst in the history of leadership because by the time we take over as the next generation, if ever we are able to take over, we will have no country to take over.

All too often our leaders pretend to be professional. “Professionalism” is sometimes a facade for fraud. Looking at the just concluded Mashujaa Day celebrations, it was all about the leaders and nothing about the people they are meant to serve.

We have no hint, whatsoever of any professionalism aspect in our politics and whatever we see is PR to cover up the true intent our thieving leaders. Those around them would love to be like them, with the opportunity to loot without consequence hence they abet the wrongs through PR meant to hoodwink the gullible public as they eat whatever breadcrumbs remain.

Honesty and transparency combined with character, competence and real results are completely missing and the constant Soap Opera of failed leadership, a sick nation ruled by legitimate crooks and thugs.

Leaders empower individuals by building trust and coaching competence in their job roles and networking skills. This is what is meant to be happening. When we promulgated the Constitution in 2010, this was the spirit of the law. We ushered in a new dawn that would make every Kenya relevant in the management of this country in whatever level. Unfortunately, we ignored the most critical aspect of the Constitution when we went to the polls in 2013 and threw out Chapter 6 of the Laws of Kenya and we are where we are because of that. We have no one else to blame but ourselves.

I, Steve Biko Wafula DO NOT SUPPORT ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS OF ANY NATURE. This is because I believe we have failed to implement the Constitution to the full, we have ignored Chapter 6 consistently and the calls for a review are all about accommodating selfish interests come 2022 instead of using the law to serve the people better. No single leader is sincere and honest about this. It is not about saving the taxpayer monies but about egos and selfish needs to accommodate individuals come 2022.

The calls for a referendum are not about Kenyans. They are about individuals. They are about Raila. They are about Uhuru. They are about Kalonzo. They are about Ruto. They are about those who hang around them. Simple and clear.

What these guys pushing for a referendum change want is to have another new constitution in place & not amend the current one. Whatever they are suggesting is to completely overhaul the current Constitution to something that will suit them. Unfortunately, that ship sailed. We need to implement the current laws completely. Whatever issues we are facing as a country, I believe can be handled more than effectively with the current laws.

Listen to them talk. Interrogate their ideas of better representation. We went through so much to get where we have. Yes, it is not perfect but whatever ails us has been identified. What is needed is now to fully implement the law and sort the issues out.

For me, we DO NOT NEED A REFERENDUM, We need to address the issues of, USING OUR CURRENT LAWS;-

The country loses 1/3 of its budget to corruption and outright thieving. We need these funds back and those responsible prosecuted.
Impunity and abuse of office. We need to enforce the law and prosecute those responsible
We need every single public officer, from the level of village elder to the President to be held accountable for every single action they undertake for the public.
Constitutional Commissions. We need to ensure that the law governing them is amended to ensure that they are not full time but part-time based on the need and demand for their services and paid per sitting not monthly.
Reduce government expenditure. For example, all heads of Parastatals, PS’s, and Directors have no chase cars and bodyguards at the expense of the taxpayer. Remove the position of CAS because this is illegal in the first place. Also, ensure no more purchase of high-end cars beyond the capacity of 2.5 L engines.
Provincial Administration. This structure is meant to be abolished completely. Ensure the Constitution is fully followed and this removed.
Recover the 15 trillion that is hidden in offshore accounts. This amount that can run the country for 5 years nonstop, help us pay all the debts, help us clear all the infrastructure developments and at the same time, help us grow more capital for investment and spending as a people because, in those 5 years, no tax will be levied whatsoever to anyone or any business across the board. You can imagine the positive repercussion this will have on the economy, people’s personal growth financially and the strides we will make in investments and developments.
Develop key institutions. As a country, we need to shift our mindset from worshiping our fraudulent leaders and focus on institutions that can enforce, uphold and nurture accountability, sustainability, and enforcement of our rules and laws. This will be key in ensuring that every single leader is accountable for their actions and we can monitor the growth steps of our country.
Audit our debt. We have been talking about how much we owe the Chinese and the Bretton Woods institutions. I believe is critical to know the truth of exactly how much we owe, both domestically and internationally, plus the rates, look at the original debt documentation and ensure that we pay back the right amount. Our leaders have lost all credibility to talk about this without an audit that can be verified.
The issue of over-representation. This does not arise and no county or constituency is going to agree to be folded up. What we need is the issue of proper governance and accountability. The issue of Women Representatives needs to be fully implemented as per the constitution to meet the 2/3 gender rule. The issue of nominated MPS, MCS, and Senators must be properly implemented to ensure that those meant to be nominated are the ones being nominated to cater for special interests and needs. This is critical to ensure equity, equality, and balance.
Cost of the Referendum. IEBC said that they need 12 billion shillings to carry out this referendum that is totally not needed. How many factories can this amount help to establish and create jobs? How many cancer screening machines can this amount buy? How much in terms of medicine for HIV/AIDS, Diabetes and other chronic illnesses can this amount purchase? How many spinal support and reconstruction facilities can this amount create? I believe we need a new leadership that puts our interests and needs first. We do not need this repugnant, selfish referendum but am sure it will happen because our leadership is that selfish and myopic. I hope we all vote no if that time comes.

Imagine how much money we would save if the above eleven reasons had the needed political drive and will to implement? Imagine the tax burden relief Kenyans would get. Imagine the development in healthcare and proper and better roads? This is what is needed urgently and not anything else. Let no leader lie to us about the constitution this or that.

Do you know that if we fully implement the Constitution, even our dearest duo UhuRuto might be forced to step down because of Chapter 6? Now please connect the dots and understand that the handshake was about creating an environment for a new Constitution so that selfish interests and needs can be accommodated. Any honest leader will know we don’t need to amend the constitution, we need to fully implement it.

I have decided not to support calls for a referendum and I will not board.

About Steve Biko Wafula

Steve Biko is the CEO OF Soko Directory and the founder of Hidalgo Group of Companies. Steve is currently developing his career in law, finance, entrepreneurship and digital consultancy; and has been implementing consultancy assignments for client organizations comprising of trainings besides capacity building in entrepreneurial matters.He can be reached on: +254 20 510 1124 or Email: info@sokodirectory.com

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