Nairobi — American ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger has asked Kenyans not to depend on politicians to decide their destiny.

He said the current constitutional review debate has come at the right time when the country was in dire need of a long-term solution to the culture of corruption, impunity and lawlessness.

Speaking in Taveta on Friday, the ambassador said that a review of the constitution was the most important catalyst for the country's economic growth and an end to bad governance.

"Much as the government is insisting on politicians to desist from hate speech, there is also need to avoid peddling lies," he said.

People drumming support for the constitution and those against it should tell the public the truth to let them make an informed decision, he urged.

The American government, he said, was not dictating the destiny of this country, but merely offering advice.

Mr Ranneberger urged the youth to take advantage of the wave of constitutional reforms currently sweeping across the country and decide their destiny by voting wisely in the referendum.