Kenyan Churches Oppose New Draft Constitution

Mainline Christian churches in Kenya are uniting to urge rejection in an upcoming November referendum of the proposed new Constitution for Kenya-- known as the Wako Draft. Christian Today reports that one reason for the opposition is the inclusion in the Constitution of provisions on Kadhi's courts - Islamic religious courts. However the reasons for church opposition is broader than that. They object to the fact that the current draft drastically revises the Bomas Draft of the Constitution produced last year by the National Constitutional Conference. In particular the new draft creates a strong President and a weak Prime Minister. See last month's Mail & Guardian report.