Kenya’s new constitution is part of a reform package that leaders there committed themselves to after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008. That deal ended violence that killed more than 1,000 people following Kenya’s disputed December 2007 presidential vote.
Friday’s event comes after an overwhelming majority of Kenyan voters adopted the new constitution in an Aug. 4 referendum. President Mwai Kibaki’s signature formally marks the end of a decades-long struggle to cut down the massive powers of the presidency.
The government and parliament now must implement the ambitious document, a process expected to take up to five years. The document requires, among other things, the formation of a Supreme Court and a Senate. It also demands that the country’s judiciary be vetted to rid it of corrupt or incompetent judges and that parliament pass 49 new laws.
Patrick Gichuki, a street vendor, painted his body in the colors of the Kenyan national flag and the words “Kenya mpya” - new Kenya.
“We are happy to be Kenyans and we are happy that Kenya has a new constitution,” said Gichuki, who hopes the new constitution will help address the many problems facing Kenyan youth.
Emmy Kosgey, who sang during the festivities and got all the VIPs dancing at the podium, said the signing of a new constitution signified a new beginning for the country and she was proud to be part of it.
“Most of us have grown up reading about such events as history,” she said. “But today we are a part of history.”
