You all now know cord’s aim in calling for referendum is to seek to gain momentum ahead of 2017, that’s water under the bridge. But how did we get here and what is cord’s game plan to outwit everyone going forward? Read below how it all started, and where we are in the chronology of events:
Step 0
Having been outwitted in 2013, and time not being on his side, an overseas vacation to brainstorm and come up with game plan to win in 2017, hook or crook is necessary. It dawns the only way is to force a referendum, win it against govt and hence gather momentum for 2017
Step 1
Look for a way to justify a referendum- Hence the ultimatum for government to enter into dialogue to address pertinent matters. Cord knew the government will not agree, and even if they did, will not agree to cord’s proposals. This government’s refusal to enter into dialogue paved way for step 2.
Step 2
Since the aim of referendum is not really ‘noble’, but a crafty way of trying to gain power hook or crook, Cord is aware outwitting the public, the parliament, the judiciary and executive to force a referendum is no walk in the park. So what to do? Engage the services of a smart and unbiased city lawyer. His wisdom, combined with ideas from a bunch of woolly, biased and calculating politicians ever to appear on Kenyan political scene would surely enable cord to outwit everyone and carve out a ‘seemingly constitutional’ ‘middle’ path.
Step 3 (where we are)
The city lawyer and the woolly bunch of politicians, have gone through the constitution with a tooth comb and have devised a ‘perfect’ middle path that will outwit everyone. Since the constitution allows for a popular initiative to be in the form of ‘a general suggestion’ – at least up to the stage it is being presented to IEBC/counties, cord only need to allude to the issues that will be addressed by referendum– devolution, land reform, inclusivity, electoral reforms. Make no mistake, the smart lawyer already advised that the moment the BILL/referendum questions are revealed, they could be challenged in court, scuttling the entire process, or ‘anybody’ out there could steal the good or constitutional aspects of the proposals and have them passed in parliament.
Hence the only way, is to make a general suggestion (already done), then move swiftly to collect signatures. (ION, City lawyer Kethi has quit the committee of experts –no surprises there, she had in a recent media article stated that unless and until the bill to amend constitution is drafted, debate on merit and demerits of the referendum are ‘moot’. Since Cord do not want to publicise the ‘bill’ at this point in time – for obvious reasons, and this is against her public position, her further stay in the CoE can only be untenable).
Going forward
To collect 1 million signatures, cord only need to camp in Nairobi, Kakamega, Bungoma, Kisumu’s slums for a couple of days or weeks. Once cord starts brandishing around a bound booklet containing one million signatures, it will be too late for anyone to stop the referendum gravy train– Logic being that even if the some provisions in cord’s bill are challenged/voided by IEBC/court at the time of verification, Cord will only need to change some clauses without having to collect the signatures again. Meanwhile, Jubilee is still in slumber land - as Cord's gravy train continues to gather momentum.