Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has stated that a majority of Kenyans support his controversial proposal to extend the presidential term limit from the current five-year term to a seven-year term.
According to Cherargei, this feedback was gathered through submissions made to the Senate’s official email, revealing public sentiment on the proposed amendment.
Speaking during a Senate session on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 Cherargei argued that only 40% of Kenyans oppose his bill, suggesting that the majority are in favor of the change.
“And Kenyans are 60, 40. As of now, 60% of Kenyans support my bill, while 40% oppose it.
In terms of SMS, Whats App, Facebook updates, and X,” Cherargei said.
He attributed the response as evidence of substantial support for adjusting Kenya’s presidential term limits, an issue that has generated considerable public debate.
This comes days after the Senate’s email system crashed following a high number of public submissions regarding the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024.
The Senate issued a notice after Kenyans claimed that they were unable to submit their work.
The Senate announced the technological issues on social media site X in response to the very positive feedback from Kenyans.
Over 200,000 submissions were received, exceeding the email system’s capabilities, according to Senate officials.
In addition, he attacked the data privacy issue, claiming that after he tabled the bill, many people obtained his phone numbers and got in touch with him.
Cherargei pointed out that while some people applauded him for the suggestion, others made fun of him for it.
“My phone, Mr.Speaker, has over 12000 SMS. I have close to 20,000 Whats App messages. I have received so many phone calls. They are ‘salimiaring’ me,” Cherargei expressed.
While Cherargei claims significant support, the exact breakdown of responses submitted to the Senate has not been disclosed, leaving room for debate about the accuracy of his claims.
The bill is yet to reach a formal voting stage, but the senator’s remarks have reignited discussions on constitutional amendments and the balance between governance efficiency and democratic safeguards.
