Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has defended his proposal that sought the extension of presidential term limits to seven years.
The Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, which sought to extend the presidential and parliamentary term, was rejected after an overwhelming public opposition.
Further still, President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance party and affiliated MPs distanced themselves from the proposed law.
But speaking on Wednesday during an interview at Radio Generation, Cherargei still maintained that the extension of the presidential limit would allow development in the country.
The Senator said leaders are focused on politicking rather than developing the areas they were elected to represent.
“Every year, Kenya is in perpetual campaign mode; we have never stopped since 2022. Some leaders, when declared winners, the next day they have started campaigning for a seat. There is a bad habit. We are wondering, could it be the reason why we don’t have serious development, could it be because we are doing too much politicking?” Cherargei said.
“I think five years is too short for people to concentrate on what they are doing. The beneficiary might not be in power now; they could be people in posterity. Some of these laws we do it for posterity.”
On Tuesday, Kenyans raised concerns sparked by a widely circulated proposal seeking to extend the presidential and parliamentary term from five to seven years.
The uproar was triggered after the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2024, resurfaced online, with many Kenyans warning it would roll back democratic gains secured under the 2010 Constitution.
The Bill proposes amending Article 101 to increase the tenure of Members of Parliament and Article 136 to extend the President’s term, both from five to seven years.
Kenyans on social media condemned the proposal, saying the political class appeared intent on clinging to power instead of addressing pressing economic and social challenges.
The Senate issued a statement distancing itself from the controversy, noting that the Bill in question was being confused with a separate reform agenda.
“The Senate wishes to set the record straight: No Bill to extend term limits is under consideration. The 2024 proposal was rejected after overwhelming public opposition and has since been stood down. The Senate is now focused on constitutional reforms to strengthen devolution,” the statement read.
The clarification referred to the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which focuses on strengthening devolution.
