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Mr Raila Odinga, of Roads, Public Works and Housing, said: "We agreed after extensive consultations and I don't think it is advisable to change the date."

His comments came as the Nation learnt that the parliamentary calendar was likely to run until early December, meaning there was no consideration of the conference.

A meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the review and the House Business Committee last week appeared to push the resumption of the constitutional talks to January.

Although the matter was not exhaustively discussed, the final meeting to decide the date is scheduled for Wednesday.

However, most ministers at the meeting favoured a January date to allow Parliament to pass important Bills to ensure the resumption of aid.

Speaking yesterday from South Africa, Mr Odinga, who did not attend last week's meeting, said: "Nobody has power to change the date other than the conference itself."

The minister argued that Kenyans had waited for the review for a long time and if it was not completed in time the much awaited reforms would not be realised.

"I am against those who want to push the conference. They want to look for excuses. If we come to January they will talk of March, then June...," he said.

He argued that Kenyans expected a new constitution within 100 days of the Narc Government and pushing it to January would be more than 300 days.

Mr Odinga said Kenyans could not discuss the constitution forever as it was now becoming expensive.

The review consumes about Sh400 million every month. There have been two sessions - Bomas I and II. Bomas III is expected to be the final leg of the constitutional review.

Mr Odinga argued that if the constitution had been completed the clean-up in the Judiciary would have been easier.

The Law Society of Kenya had proposed that all judges resign and reapply when a new constitution was enacted.

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