ODM Deputy Party Leader Senator Godfrey Osotsi has firmly rejected calls by Kenya Kwanza leadership for a constitutional referendum, warning that the proposal masks an ulterior motive to extend presidential term limits.
Speaking during the Bunyore Cultural Festival at Ebusakami in Luanda, Vihiga County, Osotsi expressed deep concern over the referendum agenda being pushed by a section of the ruling coalition despite being framed as reformist.
“Kenya’s history clearly shows that manipulating term limits for political convenience undermines democracy, weakens institutions and diverts national attention from urgent challenges such as the high cost of living, unemployment and widespread economic hardship,” Osotsi stated.
The senator’s remarks come days after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi proposed holding a constitutional referendum alongside the 2027 general election, citing the need to implement the NADCO report and address constitutional gaps.
However, Osotsi emphasized that the focus should be on implementing the NADCO report without reopening the Constitution.
He warned that the NADCO recommendations represent a hard-won national consensus and that abandoning them in favor of a referendum agenda would amount to bad faith.
“Instead of dragging the country into divisive constitutional debates, our collective focus should be on the full, faithful and urgent implementation of the NADCO report, which offers practical solutions on governance, electoral justice, inclusivity and economic reforms,” he said.
Osotsi also stressed that the ten-point agenda jointly signed between ODM and UDA must be respected and implemented in both letter and spirit, as it provides a clear bipartisan roadmap for political stability without constitutional amendments.
The deputy party leader reaffirmed ODM’s unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, term limits and peaceful democratic transitions, calling on government partners to abandon hidden agendas and focus on implementing agreed reforms that restore hope, accountability and dignity to Kenyans’ lives.
His statement positions ODM as skeptical of Kenya Kwanza’s constitutional reform agenda amid concerns about potential term limit manipulation.
