Mudavadi calls for dialogue over pertinent proposals contained in BBI – KBC

Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi now says the country needs to engage in a dialogue so as to fast-track implementation of some of the issues contained in the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020, recently declared illegal by the High Court.

The ANC leader says with the ruling annulling the BBI process coming a few months to the next general election, it would be impossible to have some of the pertinent reforms proposed in the Bill ready ahead of the poll, as the constitutional timelines prohibit this from happening.

He cites possible lengthy litigation resulting from appeals against the landmark judgment delivered on Thursday.

As such, the Former Deputy Prime Minister wants all major political players in the country to “consider a return to the conversation table and restart an inclusive national dialogue style on the format of the 2002 IPPG arrangement”

“The agenda of this dialogue should be to relook at the Bill and identify those issues like restructuring of IEBC to make it fit for the purpose, which are otherwise good for our nation and do not require a national referendum,” he says

According to the ANC leader, this and other issues can be addressed through a parliamentary process of amending the constitution.

In a statement sent to newsrooms Saturday, Mudavadi says there is a lot that is good for the country in the BBI Bill that shouldn’t be discarded.

“Kenyans, we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. There must be a silver lining out of the court’s judgment and this is what we must look out for as a nation,” he said

“We are convinced that whereas the court points at some sticky issues in the proposed Bill, there are very useful proposals for our nation and people,” he added.

Mudavadi holds the view that issues such as the proposed 5 percent Ward Fund, and the increase of sharable revenue to the counties to not less than 35 percent are proposals that would greatly benefit all Kenyans.

What’s more, Mudavadi says the BBI process had provided a roadmap to healing the nation by building bridges to a united nation.

“Our nation needs healing from extremely corrosive politics that have dodged the country,” he said

At the same time, Mudavadi wants all parties in the process to respect High Court’s decision that declared the BBI process unconstitutional and desist from disparaging the judicial officers involved for exercising their constitutional mandate.

“Kenya is a democracy built on the basic tenets of separation of powers, check and balances, and respect for the rule of law,” he said