Uhuru, Raila urge MPs to drop reservations & adopt BBI Bill – KBC

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga are now calling on Members of Parliament to shelve their reservations and go ahead and pass the Constitution of Kenya Amendment Bill 2020 (The BBI Bill), setting the stage for a referendum anytime this year.

In a joint statement Wednesday evening, the two handshake principals rallied lawmakers from both Houses of Parliament to adopt recommendations made in the Bill in order to allow plans for the popular initiative to commence.

Uhuru and Raila noted that the BBI Bill has gone through the motions provided for in the constitution particularly citing the endorsement of Kenyans who appended over three million signatures on the Bill, surpassing the threshold necessary to take the process to the next stage.

“We are making a joint appeal to members of the National Assembly and the Senate to join the 3,188,001 Kenyans who supported the Bill, and the 44 County Assemblies who approved it, in upholding what represents the hopes and aspirations of all these who participated in the various public forums seeking long term solutions to this country’s problems,” The two leaders said

In an apparent reference to the stalemate and the fallout that greeted debate on whether the Bill needed amendments or not before being subjected to popular initiative, the two leaders reiterated that this was not the time to antagonize each other. They further asked lawmakers to act for the good of the country.

“This is not the time for political adversity nor for personal aggrandizement. This is the time to listen to the people and to remember that it is their sovereignty we exercise as their servants,” they said

“After this vote, the Bill shall be going directly to the people to confirm that indeed they are satisfied that we have been listening to them as they talk,” They added even as they pleaded with the MPs to be faithful servants they were elected to be.