The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) secretariat on Thursday, December 10 delivered 4.4 mi*lion signatures in support of the Const*tutional Amendment Bi*l to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Backers of the BBI led by J***t Secretaries Junet Mohammed and Dennis Waweru led a large group in a march through the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to IEBC headquarters at Anniversary Towers.
IEBC is expected to undertake a verification exercise of the signatures. For popular initiatives to take place, the Const*tution requires at least 1 mi*lion signatures from registered voters.
IEBC Chair Wafula Cheb*kati was on hand to receive the signatures, and confirmed the next steps.
“We shall now proceed and request for a budget from the National Treasury. As soon as we get the budget, we wi*l get a team, the Referendum Committee, to undertake verification of the signatures,” he stated.
Should the signatures be approved, the bi*l wi*l be taken back to the Speaker of the National A*sembly and, subsequently, forw*rded to all 47 county a*semblies.
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It wi*l require the support of at least 30 county a*semblies to sail through for a referendum to take place.
Cheb*kati noted that the commission would give periodic updates on the process. He a*serted that the verification process would be undertaken in full compliance with Covid-19 guidelines.
Junet told reporters that internal verification had seen the signatures collected sieved to 3 mi*lion from over 4.8 mi*lion.
He dismissed calls from Deputy President Wi*liam Ruto and his allies for the BBI doc*ment to be opened up to changes.
Junet reiterated that the BBI train had left the station, a*serting that they were ready for a referendum.
Kenya African National Union (KANU) Chair Nick Salat, who also addressed the press, further stated that they had no room for the undecided.
Among other things, Ruto had called for a multiple choice referendum and restoration of the election of the 47 woman representatives in the National A*sembly .
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