Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called for constitutional amendments to prevent individuals from using the courts to block government projects.
Speaking during a church service in Kakamega on Sunday Atwoli urged the President to consider altering specific sections of the constitution to ensure smoother execution of government initiatives.
“I want to tell the president, we will help him, but the battle he has is big. First, he should help us amend the Kenyan constitution. When the president wants to introduce a project to assist us, people go to court to stop it. We must help him, and he will help us in many things.
Atwoli further emphasized the need to revisit constitutional provisions that hinder the government’s ability to fulfill its promises.
“Let’s go back to our current constitution and look at those sections. There are some that will hold him back until the five years are over,” Atwoli said at the event attended by President William Ruto.
“Whenever you want to introduce a project, some people rush to court to block it, even though it’s a national government initiative. Yet, if someone kills you today, they go to court, get bond, and brag about it.”
Atwoli also affirmed that the Western Kenya region is now fully aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration and warned those attempting to sow division that they will be arrested.
“I assure the president that here in Western, we are all now inside the government, and anyone on the outside, we will arrest them. I said, if someone is sitting on the government security council, which oversees the country’s security, and goes outside to speak about internal matters, they must be arrested. Because when this country faces problems, it is women, children, and workers who suffer the most, and we must have laws to protect them,” he added.
President Ruto, speaking at the Inaugural Supreme Court Conference last week, urged the courts to consider the manifestos that led voters to elect his administration before making decisions that could halt government projects.
He also called on the Judiciary to be more considerate, as several court rulings have delayed the implementation of key government initiatives.
