Nairobi — The clergy supporting the proposed Constitution are spoiling for an intellectual fight with their counterparts in the 'No' camp as the referendum campaigns enter the homestretch.

Speaking at a news conference in Nairobi's Serena Hotel on Sunday, retired Archbishop David Gitari and controversial Presbyterian cleric Timothy Njoya dared their colleagues opposing the document to a debate on the contentious issues in the proposed Constitution.

"Let them come so that we can debate honestly. If they refuse to come, then we'll know they are cowards," said Bishop Gitari. "Whether we're saying 'Yes' or 'No' is not a surprise, the issue lies on where the truth is."

The two sounded bellicose in their speech terming themselves as the "country's best theologians", while dismissing the clergy in the 'No' camp as "traitors" and "bastards" with "degrees from the streets."

"I don't want to call them names, but they deserve being called names," said Rev Njoya. "I don't spare them when it comes to speaking the truth."

The two said the Church's stand to oppose the proposed constitution on grounds of kadhi courts and the abortion clauses were not in tandem with the two-decade struggle for a new constitution.

With their hopes for a 'Yes' win in the referendum buoyed up by the recent opinion polls, the clerics said there was no going back in the march towards a new Constitution.

"My own instinct tells me we'd have a 70 per cent vote for the 'Yes'. If it get's anything less than 70 per cent, it will not be a bouncing baby; it will have many infections," Rev Njoya added.

The two clerics have been on the reform path for sometime now, so to them, only a new Constitution will be the ultimate reward. They accused the clergy opposed to the document as late-comers in the reform struggle.

"Where were they when we were being tear-gassed?" posed Rev Gitari.

They said they'll not shy off politics "because it was too important to be left to politicians alone."

"Keeping quiet is also a political decision, because then, you let others including criminals decide for you," they said.

As the 90-minute news conference wore on, Rev Njoya stunned journalists when he asked everyone in the room to bow down for prayer. He went ahead and prayed for an "Obama moment" in reference to the resounding win of the current United States President Barack Obama back in November 2008.

He prayed for a referendum "free of violence, rigging and intimidation" and for "people to be able to wake up to go and vote" come August 4 when the country is set to either approve or reject the proposed document.

An unapologetic Rev Njoya backed the government's directive to top civil servants to campaign for the proposed law saying "the government owned the process by virtue of Agenda 4 (the national accord)."

"A civil servant must do the bidding of his employer, but they should vote with their conscience," said the Presbyterian cleric.

They appealed to the Church note to force their respective congregations to reject the document, but to educate the faithful on the contents of the document.

"We've told individuals not to listen to their Church leaders or politicians, but to vote with their conscience," said Bishop Gitari.

He accused the clergy in the 'No' camp of "joining hands with liars" to frustrate what he called the government's effort to stabilise the country.

The attacks on the Church and the politicians opposing the proposed Constitution comes at a time when campaigns for the new Constitution are heating up, with many of the public utterances bordering on personal attacks.

The Church has been opposed to article 26(4) that gives direction as to circumstances under which abortion may be permitted. The Church also wants the kadhi courts set up by an Act of Parliament and not the Constitution as proposed in the document headed to the referendum.