(Bloomberg) -- Kenyan lawmakers proposed revising the nation’s constitution to lengthen presidential and parliamentary terms, joining a growing trend in East Africa where similar amendments have enabled other leaders to extend their rule.
A bill submitted to Kenya’s Senate is being discussed by a parliamentary committee, according to an official notice published in the Nairobi-based Daily Nation newspaper on Wednesday. It also calls for the introduction of the post of prime minister, who would be appointed by the president.
The proposal to extend presidential terms risks raising political tensions in Kenya, where weeks of protests earlier this year against President William Ruto’s administration over the high cost of living and state corruption left dozens of people dead. The constitution limits the president to two five-year mandates and any adjustment to that timeline would require a referendum.
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The bill is unlikely to become law as it would likely be rejected by Kenyans in a plebiscite, given the opposition that Ruto’s government has faced on the city’s streets, said Ekuru Aukot, a constitutional lawyer and former presidential candidate.
“Ruto is the most unpopular president we’ve had in Kenya,” Aukot said by phone. “The ground is very hostile to this regime.”
The proposal may be an attempt by lawmakers to divert attention from other policies that have drawn criticism, said Aukot. A plan by the government to allow a company controlled by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani to take over operations of the nation’s biggest airport triggered a strike by aviation workers last month that disrupted flights from Nairobi. Kenyan courts have suspended its implementation.
If it did pass, the legislation may allow President William Ruto to seek two new terms. The would place Kenya among other nations in the region including Uganda and Rwanda where the law has been revised to allow their leaders to remain in office. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been in power since 1986, while Rwandan President Paul Kagame has held power since 2000.
Ruto became president after winning a disputed election in 2022, narrowly beating opposition candidate Raila Odinga. He has since overturned his parliamentary fortunes by orchestrating a rapprochement with the main opposition party by appointing four of its leaders to his cabinet and backing Odinga’s bid to head the African Union Commission.
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