President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday refused to bow to opposition demands for talks outside Parliament over the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Instead, the President announced the formation of a special parliamentary select committee to deal with the ongoing stalemate on electoral reforms.
“The Joint Select Committee of both Houses of Parliament be set up in accordance with the standing orders of both Houses,” Uhuru said.
“The mandate of the committee will be strictly and exclusively the matter of the IEBC.”
He added that he has convened a meeting of the Parliamentary Group today morning to agree on the membership and Jubilee’s participation in the joint select committee.
Cord leader Raila Odinga, who has been pushing for dialogue, said the President’s directive is welcome.
“We will respond to the development tomorrow [today]. We are going to consult after seeing the content of the statement,” he said.
Uhuru also said that, as provided for in the standing orders of both Houses of Parliament, the joint committee will invite and receive submissions from all stakeholders – public and private.
The President, however, refused to accede to the opposition’s demands for talks outside Parliament, saying that he had sworn to protect the constitution.
Uhuru said Article 3 ( 1 ) of the constitution requires that “every person has an obligation to respect, uphold and defend this constitution”
“This obligation is not an option. It is imperative, mandatory and an irreducible civic duty. As your President, I have sworn to defend it, but as citizens, you have this irreversible duty to protect it,” Uhuru said.
He said respect for the constitution had led him to hold consultations with religious leaders from various faiths.
The meeting was also attended by speakers Justin Muturi (National Assembly) and Ekwee Ethuro (Senate).
The President added it is expected that other initiatives by Parliament will harmonise their work within the framework of the joint select committee.