The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party has distanced itself from a Bill sponsored by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, that seeks to alter constitutional term limits of the president and other elected leaders from five to seven years.

In a statement from UDA Scretary-General Hassan Omar, the ruling party said that the Bill is not only cynical, profoundly misguided and self-serving, but also deny Kenyans regular opportunities to hold leadership to account through voting.

Omar says that UDA is disappointed and concerned that one of the party’s elected leaders has tabled such a retrogressive bill.

“The masterminds and sponsors of the constitutional amendment bill, who are evidently preoccupied with sensational distractions and perverse indulgence in political delinquency and legislative mischief, have not engaged in sufficient reflection with regard to the historical origins, institutional basis and political necessity of term limits,” Omar says. “Neither have they duly considered the explicit duty of leadership to respect, uphold and defend the letter and spirit of our constitution, and our commitment to offer leadership of our common national project of fully actualising its values and principles.”

UDA acknowledges the struggles that led to the promulgation a “liberal, progressive” 2010 Constitution that has “enabled our nation make impressive strides in consolidating our institutions, deepening our democracy, protecting our freedoms and placing our economy on the sustainable path of inclusive prosperity.”

“The party therefore disassociates itself from the repugnant and backward bill and calls any of its rank and file who leads, supports or is, in any manner whatsoever, involved with it, to order: The bill is incompatible with our policy and aspirations. This juvenile political experimentation and delinquent affront to our constitutional values must now crush to a halt!”