MP moves to extend parliament by up to five years

A senior MP from the National Development Party (NDP) on Tuesday put forward a motion to allow extension of the current parliament by up to five years, the ‘Daily Nation’ newspaper reported. If passed, the motion proposed by Mbita MP Otieno K’Ajwang would change the Kenyan constitution and mean that presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2002 might not take place. The motion seeks to extend parliament “when Kenya is at war, or during the process of comprehensive review of the constitution”, the ‘Daily Nation’ reported. Professor Yash Pal Ghai’s Constitution of Kenya Review Commission is currently working on changes to the constitution and is expected to present a draft to parliament by June next year.

When K’Ajwang - NDP spokesman for legal affairs - first announced his intention to present the motion to parliament, opposition and ruling party members accused him of diverting attention attention from Kenya’s social and economic difficulties. NDP leader Raila Odinga - who was appointed energy minister in June after the NDP entered into a power-sharing agreement with President Daniel arap Moi’s dominant Kenya African National Union (KANU) party - has said K’Ajwang’s motion was not sponsored by the NDP, and that the 20 NDP MPs would be allowed a free vote on the issue.