In The Radio

Date: 25th Jun 2010
Radio Station Kass fm
Host: Mr. joshua arap sang
Guest: American ambassador to kenya mr. michael rannerbeger

Topic: New constitution

The American government will not force Kenyans to adopt a new constitution in the coming referendum. This was said by the American ambassador Mr. Michael Rannerbeger during a morning talk show on Kass FM hosted by Joshua Arap Sang, on Friday, 25th June 2010. He said President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Mr. Raila Odinga signed an accord that they would deliver a new constitution to the country.

Mr. Rannerbeger added that president Barrack Obama is keenly watching the reforms process in the country and said that a new constitution will be the center piece of reforms in the country.
Answering why his country seemed very interested in a new constitution, he said Kenya is a great partner to America and asked Kenyans to review what happened during the post election violence that rocked the country in 2008 which he attributed to the current weak constitution.

The envoy said that land should be a national resource and gave US as an example saying that the government can take land from an individual if it is of national benefit and may not be compensated. When the envoy was asked to give the difference between commissioner of lands as included in the current constitution and the national land commission in the proposed constitution, he stated that powers will be vested in the land commission but the commission will liaise with the county government when handling land matters to ensure transparency and accountability.

When asked if his country is satisfied with the inclusion of Kadhis' courts in the proposed constitution, he said Kadhis' were only addressing marriage and other domestic issues affecting Muslims.

He urged Kenyan citizens to read and understand the proposed constitution so that they can make an informed decision and not wait for politicians and other opinion leaders decide for them. He reminded Kenyans that no constitution in the world was perfect and that there is room for amendments should it be passed. He said some politicians were misleading Kenyans.

Mr. Rannerbeger appealed to Kenyans to listen to the former United Nations Secretary General Dr. Kofi Anan and members of civil society. He also urged media to avoid taking sides on the proposed constitution and report facts while giving equal coverage to those for or against it. He said there are checks and balances of the presidential powers in the proposed constitution that will address impunity that has been experienced in the current constitution since independence.

He also noted should the proposed constitution pass, it would give Kenyans an opportunity to improve economically because resources will be devolved at the grassroots and will ensure there is accountability. The ambassador also said women will represent a third of the officials in the county government.

He revealed that the American government has set aside $45million to address the upsurge of unemployment and empower youth groups. He said his country would like to see Kenyans embrace reforms and empower institutions so as to attract investors from the Diaspora saying that his government would like to assist Kenya to improve economically

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