NAIROBI: Mutula says vetting will not beat August deadline

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Mutula Kilonzo has called on Kenyans to come to terms with the reality that vetting of judges will not be achievable by the August 26^th constitutional deadline.

Mutula further challenged Parliament to brace itself for the task of extending the timelines spelt out in the 5^th schedule of the constitution.

He has also expressed concern that the 2012 succession politics may jeopardize the implementation of the constitution.

The Mbooni legislator says coalition and personal interests of some individuals holding senior positions are some of the other challenges that the process may experience.

However, Mutula says the progress made so far is encouraging but expressed the need to come up with a plan to mitigate the challenges.

Ten months into the new constitutional framework, the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) says the implementation process has seen noteworthy results, albeit with serious challenges.

The commission organized a 3-day National Constitution Implementation Conference at the KICC to take stock of the achievements seven months since coming into office.

During the conference the Mutula told delegates that some of the major achievements in the implementation process include the swearing in of Dr. Willy Mutunga, Nancy Baraza and Keriako Tobiko as Chief Justice, Deputy Chief Justice and Director of Public Prosecution respectively.

But CIC Chairman Charles Nyachae says that although five bills have already been passed into law and three others are awaiting Presidential assent, the road ahead needs renewed dedication and commitment.

Mutula admits while implementation of the new law remains on course, the vetting of judges and magistrates by August 26^th is glaringly impossible.

These are some of the key challenges that the conference will seek to address as it takes an audit of the implementation process with a view to yielding a concrete agenda to expedite constitutional reforms.

The specific focus areas would include the restructuring of government, the role of non-state actors and drawing comparative experiences from other countries, among other issues. 

 SOURCE: KBC