BBI taskforce raises concerns over delays in passing BBI bill

The debate over whether to reopen the constitution amendment bill 2020 for further review is raging, dividing the Joint Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, which is currently reviewing the bill.

Dr. Adams Oloo, a member of the BBI taskforce, has expressed concern about a faction of the political class seeking to derail the process.

“We know that a timeline was there, whether that timeline will be met, the jury is still out there, Parliament is reconvening on May 4, we still have the court cases we don’t know how they will rule. We must have a champion, we must have leadership that is ready to lead from the front for BBI to be secure,” Dr. Oloo said on Friday.

During a session organised by Uongozi Forum dubbed bridges to stability, Dr. Oloo raised questions on why proposals in the report that did not require a referendum were not being fast-tracked.

“On IEBC for example that is key to any electoral process, we have 3 members for members are supposed to be brought on board whey are they not there, yet time is running out, we have recommendations on administrative that just needs the government to action, why are they not being implemented, so the question that Priscilla was saying are we jinxed with implementation,” Dr.Oloo posed

Leaders who participated in the debate lauded the president and ODM leader Raila Odinga for burying their political differences saying the subsequent BBI reports has lasting solutions to ills that have bedeviled the country for years.

“It’s important for us to have a healthy engagement that things are not very, very nice, the challenges are astounding, but Kenya is not limited,” 2022 presidential hopeful Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi said

One of the biggest concerns however was the rising political temperatures witnessed in the past by -elections which were bound to polarise the country ahead of the next General Election…

“BBI did not say there will be no political contestation, contestation will be there but after it’s done, you shake your hands and the loser goes and says the winner has won that is what BBI envisages,” Dr. Oloo added

BBI proponents had predicted a referendum by June, however with the court having barred parliament from carrying forward the BBI process until cases challenging it are determined, it only remains to be seen what its fate will be in the end.