The Senate has refuted claims that the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025, wants to alter the term of office of the President, Governors, MPs, and MCAs from the current five years to seven years.
There has been speculations on social media that the Bill seeks to extend the terms of the afforementioned public officers to seven years, as well as create the Office of the Prime Minister, who will be appointed by the President.
However, the Senate says those claims are false.
“Nowhere in the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is there any proposal to extend the terms of office for the President, Governors, MPs, or MCAs from five to seven years. The Bill does not amend the articles of the Constitution that deal with term limits for these elective positions,” the Senate clarified. “The Bill makes no mention of creating the Office of a Prime Minister or any other new position within the executive branch.”
According to the Senate, the proposed amendments in the Bill do not alter the existing structure of the national executive, with its primary objective being to strengthen devolution and the role of the Senate.
The Bill, Senate says, proposes;
- Enhance Bicameralism: Make the Senate a co-equal to the National Assembly by requiring that most bills be considered and passed by both houses.
- Strengthen Senate’s Financial Oversight: Give the Senate a direct role in the national budget-making process and in the approval of key state officers like the Controller of Budget and Auditor-General.
- Protect County Assemblies: Establish a constitutionally protected County Assembly Fund to ensure financial independence for county legislatures.
The Senate is now advising Kenyans to read and verify information before sharing. “This Bill focuses on fixing procedural issues in Parliament to better support county governments, not on altering term limits or the structure of the executive.”
