Punguza mizigo campaign now has 600,000 signatures, says Ekuru Aukot

Thirdway Alliance Party leader Dr. Ekuru Aukot says he has gathered over 600,000 signatures in his ongoing countrywide campaign aimed at changing the constitution.

Speaking in Migori on Saturday on the trail of the campaign dubbed Punguza Mizigo,” Dr. Aukot said the signatures have been collected from the twelve counties he has visited so far, further expressing optimism that he would meet the required one million signature threshold.

The former presidential candidate said the Bill seeking for the referendum is ready and will be presented to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

“The constitution, under Article 257, requires a million endorsements to begin to spur the process of referendum. Punguza Mizigo is about lessening the burden on Kenyans and reducing the cost of running government,” he said.

According to Dr. Aukot, the bill is aimed at reducing the financial burden Kenyans are grappling with due to the high public wage bill occasioned by over representation and huge salaries for elected leaders.

He said some of the issues they want to be addressed through a referendum include reducing the number of representative posts, reducing salaries of the president and other elected leaders as well as reducing the presidency term to only one of seven years.

He also stated that leaders who have been tainted with corruption should be barred from holding any political position.

“Anyone who is adversely mentioned in the commission of enqury reports because of integrity… somebody who has been asked to account for money by the auditor general… then those people should be barred from running for any public office,” added Dr. Aukot.