Days after former Prime Minister Raila Odinga suffered a humiliating rejection for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship, allies of President William Ruto are now advocating for a constitutional amendment to create the position of Prime Minister specifically to accommodate Odinga.
Led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei and Belgut MP Nelson Koech, the lawmakers argue that Odinga’s vast political experience should not go to waste, following the AU snub.
Senator Cherargei, in a Monday morning tweet, declared that the 2010 Constitution should be amended to make way for Odinga’s return to government.
“We must now fully implement the NADCO Report by amending the 2010 Constitution to create the office of the Prime Minister and allow Rt. Hon. Baba Raila Odinga to serve Kenyans in that capacity. We cannot let such brilliant leadership and experience go to waste the way the African Union did. This is the only way we can appreciate and reward him for his fight for the rule of law and democracy in Kenya. Blessed week ahead,” Cherargei tweeted.
On the other hand, MP Nelson Koech, speaking during a live TV interview, suggested that the NADCO report should be reviewed to explore Odinga’s potential role in national governance.
“We will probably look at the NADCO report and see what it said. It is not even about the positions for Raila Odinga, but rather about his resourcefulness as a leader that he can offer the country,” Koech remarked.
This latest proposal comes against the backdrop of a long history of political rivalries and uneasy truces between Ruto and Raila. Their most recent attempts at collaboration stem from the NADCO discussions, which sought to create a broad-based government following the 2022 General Election faceoff.
While Ruto had previously opposed Raila’s push for constitutional changes under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), his allies now appear to be warming up to a similar power-sharing
However, it remains to be seen whether this push will gain traction or if it is just another political maneuver.
