Nyaribari Masaba MP Daniel Manduku has called on President William Ruto to dissolve Parliament and initiate fresh elections within 90 days following the disruptions witnessed during anti-Finance Bill protests. Speaking to the press in Kisii on Thursday, Manduku criticized elected leaders for failing to fulfill their mandate.
Manduku suggested that new elections would allow Kenyans to elect leaders who would serve them with integrity. “I want to thank the president for ultimately listening to the people’s voice and doing the right thing. But more than that, I want to state here that as elected leaders, we’re the problem. I want to ask the president to immediately dissolve the National Assembly and call for fresh elections within 90 days,” he said.
The lawmaker proposed that President Ruto could rely on international treaty organizations such as the African Union, the United Nations, and the East African Community to send nine commissioners to oversee the elections, given that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is not currently properly constituted to conduct elections.
“People will argue that there’s no IEBC, but remember we’re party to many international treaties. We can ask the AU, EAC, or UN to send nine commissioners to oversee the elections. The first step would be to update the voter register within 30 days and then conduct fresh elections. MPs who barely served two years will be compensated for the remaining term,” Manduku explained.
He urged the younger generation to ensure that MPs do not return to Parliament, emphasizing that the current situation is untenable given the public’s dissatisfaction with the regime.
“It is not tenable that we can go back to that House which has been desecrated. Article 1 of the Constitution talks about the power belonging to the people. What we saw on Tuesday is that the public came to take back the power. I want to ask Kenyans not to allow MPs to go back to Parliament,” Manduku stated.
Manduku also commented on the recent statements from the president and his deputy, suggesting a lack of coordination within the government. “Yesterday, I saw the president reading a statement and his deputy reading another statement. Two statements that seem to come from different arms of government. It is my considered view that the government has failed in its duties to protect Kenyans. We ask the president to reconstitute the Cabinet and get competent people to work for him.”
According to Article 261 of the Constitution, if Parliament fails to carry out its constitutional mandate, the president may dissolve it on the advice of the Chief Justice.
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