Ruto rejects calls to amend law to create prime minister post

Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday rejected a proposal for to amend the Constitution in order to expand the Executive and create positions of prime minister and deputy prime minister.

Instead, Mr Ruto argued that the current structure provides enough leadership positions and that the Jubilee administration’s agenda is the creation of jobs for millions of unemployed youths and uplifting the livelihoods of poor Kenyans.

He was speaking at Kakamega Township Primary School in Kakamega County, during the homecoming ceremony of Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed. Mr Ruto asked leaders to focus on development issues that will benefit Kenyans instead of concentrating on personal interests.

“We have enough political positions to go round and I will not support calls by a group of people to start discussing how to amend the Constitution to create political positions instead of addressing unemployment and poverty in the country,” said the DP.

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and his Machakos counterpart Alfred Mutua on Thursday called for an amendment of the Constitution to create the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister before 2022 presidential election.

The county chiefs, who are serving their final terms, have separately declared they will vie for the presidency.

“Our politics and elections should not be a matter of life and death. We need to amend the Constitution so that when experienced politicians like Raila Odinga, who have done so much for the country, lose in elections, they still have an opportunity to serve in the government,” said Mr Mutua.

But Mr Ruto said Kenyans have more pressing needs to address other than waste time discussing how to create political posts.