Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called for changes to the Constitution to establish clear rules on the conduct and political activities of retired presidents.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, September 20, Atwoli said Kenya needed a permanent framework to guide the role of former heads of state after leaving office.
He argued that presidents now leave office at relatively young ages and could remain active in politics long after their terms end.
Atwoli cited former President Uhuru Kenyatta and President William Ruto as examples of leaders who would leave the presidency while still relatively young.
“We must revisit Kenya’s Constitution. This is what I’m appealing to President William Ruto’s government, to have wider consultations to amend our Constitution so that we have a chapter that tames retired presidents,” Atwoli said.
The COTU boss said the proposed changes should not be seen as targeting any particular former president.
Instead, he said Kenya needed constitutional provisions that would apply to future presidents and define their role after retirement.
Atwoli has previously pushed for constitutional changes on the role of retired presidents.
In 2023, he proposed that former presidents who had served for two terms should be given a formal role as peacemakers.
“We should get to a point and squeeze this Constitution and say once he has served for 10 years, he should become a peacemaker. That should be advocated for in the Constitution,” he said at the time.
This is against the backdrop of a political row between the Kenya Kwanza government and the camp of the former president, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Members of the government have been saying that Uhuru has been supporting political opposition that has been challenging the government of President Ruto.
It is also important to note that Ruto has criticized Uhuru for his engagement in political matters and accused him of opting to be a rebel leader instead of being a statesman.
According to Uhuru, he has no intention of engaging in politics.
The former president says that he is a citizen of Kenya just like any other citizen and he can express his views regarding the country’s matters.