According to wikipedia 'A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal'

There in lies my problem with this 'referendum' . if the Government does not expect anyone to vote against the draft, why call the exercise a referendum. They should just call it a 'Decree' and we shall all vote for it. Why give choices if you only expect one response?

Thank you for Voting Yes....
Please preach yes to your neighbor

The 'Yes' team grassroots strategy by Kibaki and RAO may now work at last ....They have to go to the grass roots ...otherwise there will be a big upset by the No...By the way this weekend I managed to convert afew stray 'NOs' to the Fold of 'Yes'....at my upcountry home ....the reasons they gave was that no one has come to explain to the what is good in the draft so they had decided to say 'No' because they cant say Yes to something they do not know.....they have not even received copies of the draft...

'Yes' people go to your roots...take a weekend and visit your parents ..grand parents at the villages...help them understand the Draft ...Its a draft that will definitely change our country's political system ....for the Better

i am voting "NO"... silently, politely,peacefully. Let the records show that when it counted most..against all odds..one ProverB... said NO..Even against overwhelming YES.

@Muganda

Impressive.

Besides the MBA/LLB logic that looks enticing on paper, let me give you my side of jua kali logic that has been honed by difficulties, perfected by auctioneers and corrected by River Road.

Vision 2030 all boils down to CHUMS. If our finances are crap, Vision 2030 (in all its glossy paperback glory) may be little more than a bedtime story courtesy of a defective constitution.

There are some good bits, like the Equalisation Fund, Controller of Budget, yada yada....but one teeny weeny bit we don't see is the ultimate authority lies with 349 thugs otherwise known as MP's (masters of perjury).

How sure are we that they will put the country first when deciding CBK's role (Chpter 12, 231(5)) or when approving the reports of the Controller of Budget and Auditor General (Ch.12,228(6), 229(8))?
How do we know that these individuals (Controller of Budget/Auditor General) won't be zombie-like lackeys out to fulfill the will of their puppet-masters in Bunge? Do they have security of tenure, or will they be hounded out of office like Kimunya? (And before you mention Uhuru and his Passats, remember, THOSE CLOWNS STILL AIN'T PAYING TAX!)

@Muganda, we all know how a slight shift in public policy can make a few individuals wealthy and impoverish a nation, innit?

I'm no Prof/Dr or Authority in law/finance, but when some parts of the Draft are placed under the microscope of Street Smarts, a whole lotta things don't make sense, AND a whole lotta loop holes emerge.

I haven't always been a law abiding citizen - if I say there are loop holes, trust me, THERE ARE LOOPHOLES.

My two cents.

@msotoville, my destiny thus far sees me neither as a graduate, an MBA, or an LLB for that matter...

Honestly, I have much respect for street smarts! I have also seen that the simple things we're taught as children are often more important in life. Someone who cares and wants the best, with no strings attached, tells a child...

See the Good in people,
Hold on to your Dream no matter what,
Good Character is more important than money,
With the right Attitude everything is possible,
Work hard, try and try again, in the end you will Excel


You see, to me the constitution captures these hopes and aspirations: GOOD - DREAM - FRAMEWORK - ATTITUDE - EXCEL
An informed and positive outlook makes everything seem possible, like the rebirth of a nation.

So if 1 million Kenyans adopted my outlook, where would Kenya be?
If 1 million Kenyans adopted @msotoville outlook, is Kenya at a higher place?
Our country cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way we choose to see her.

@Wendz, he can pick any clause in the draft and say it is contentious, and your choice is:

a) convince him in a reasoned way that it is not contentious ;

b) agree it is contentious and big enough for both of you to vote NO;

c) agree it is contentious but convince him to vote yes as draft can be amended later after we have passed the draft- if he agrees with you I wish both of you luck with the rough and tumble of amendment politics especially if it is among clauses that require another referendum even to remove typos;

d) convince him it does not matter whether it is contentious and should go ahead and vote yes because we have waited for the constitution for too long a time and spent a lot of money;

d) confuse and befuddle him by hitting widely and wildly like some comments we are now familiar with in this forum and generally hope he votes yes because it you have made it appear yes will win- it is not problem here for @msoto sounds like a smart chap ;

e) you can say his interpretation amounts to hate speech and is inciteful because we are a country of people who require protection from ourselves;

f) respect his right to choose and hope he respects yours, for you both agree to disagree and that the reason there is a referendum is so that there are reds and greens;

g) there must be another choice.....

For those who think Kenya will go to shambles if NO wins, go no further for I agree with Muganda who says:

"See the Good in people,
Hold on to your Dream no matter what,
Good Character is more important than money,
With the right Attitude everything is possible,
Work hard, try and try again, in the end you will Excel".

Katiba ni sisi and for that reason I will not hesitate to vote NO.

@Muganda, @Wendz

I've not lost hope in humanity, and, trust me, if you have experienced Kenya's jua kali, you know that it's suicidal to operate bila PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).

Lakini, dunia ni hile hile. A few examples to illustrate;
Example 1:
Y'all got homes, right? They're probably in good neighbourhoods (the whole white picket fence shizznit), innit?
Let me make a wild guess; they all got burglar proofing (or probably the whole laser beam motion detector shiznit), innit?
Does that mean y'all lost hope in humanity or got a negative attitude?

Example 2:
Y'all in business or are employed in businesses, right?
Y'all use business forms - quotation/invoice/LPO/Receipt etc, right?
Since the dudes y'all deal with are so saintly (short of having a halo over their heads), why all the formality?

Examples 1 & 2 are checks/balances/fail safes - all I'm saying is it wouldn't hurt to put a few in the draft constitution. And for my effort, I'm labeled a naysayer for being careful.


To be forewarned is to be forearmed!
@Fuundah reckons "why not vote Yes, then we'll fix things later, eh?".
Dude, that's like telling me "why not have unprotected sex, then we'll worry about STI's/Pregnancy later, eh?"
@Fundaah further reckons that I vote Yes and if my fears materialize, "we will act".
Guy, we've been shafted since independence - you mean it's taken kedo 4 decades ndio ukasirike?


I've been labeled..
(a) a land grabber (still paying rent, BTW).
(b) a non-reformist
(c) a religious zealot...
...for my stand.
When I state my stand, y'all tell me to back it up with facts. When I place the facts on the table, y'all tell me to "believe in the greater good."


We've been voting in the same clowns for the last 46 years in 5 year intervals. The clowns have become so brazen that they're even introducing their progeny into the game; the newbies checking in with all our "hopes" end up being worse than the incumbents.
And YOU, in a nutshell, are telling me to hand them the keys to the cookie jar with a smile, and hope/pray that things will "get better"?


WHAT ARE YOU? MARTYR JUNKIES?
These jamaas gamble with your taxes, you smile!
These jamaas wreck havoc on your country, you grin!
These jamaas unleash a contract where you're selling your birthright right down to your great grand children, you guffaw and pat them on the back!


Better safe than sorry
The constitution is kinda like small text in a loan or insurance policy. If you overlook a clause and the crap hits the fan, guess who'll be left counting his losses.
Look in the mirror and there you'll find your answer.

@msotov, other than the language, ur arguments are quite solid, if i was not on phone, i would make an effort to support, kesho!

it is a choice between the old and new constitution = fallacy. throw away the box.