POLITICS

BBI Team Delivers 4M Signatures, Eyes Referendum

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Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) backers deliver signatures to IEBC headquarters in Nairobi on December 10, 2020.
Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) backers deliver signatures to IEBC headquarters in Nairobi on December 10, 2020.
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The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) secretariat on Thursday, December 10 delivered 4.4 million signatures in support of the Constitutional Amendment Bill to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Backers of the BBI led by Joint 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 Constitution requires at least 1 million signatures from registered voters.

IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati 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 will get a team, the Referendum Committee, to undertake verification of the signatures,” he stated.

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed addresses a press briefing on December 10, 2020 before delivering signatures to the IEBC headquarters in Nairobi.
Suna East MP Junet Mohammed addresses a press briefing on December 10, 2020 before delivering signatures to the IEBC headquarters in Nairobi.

Should the signatures be approved, the bill will be taken back to the Speaker of the National Assembly and, subsequently, forwarded to all 47 county assemblies.

READ>>>>>Kenyan Diaspora Baffled by BBI Taskforce For Ignored Recommendations

It will require the support of at least 30 county assemblies to sail through for a referendum to take place.

Chebukati noted that the commission would give periodic updates on the process. He asserted 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 million from over 4.8 million.

He dismissed calls from Deputy President William Ruto and his allies for the BBI document to be opened up to changes.

Junet reiterated that the BBI train had left the station, asserting 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 Assembly .

READ>>>>>Ruto Faces Hecklers at BBI Launch After Criticizing Proposals [VIDEO]

 

Written by
MARTIN SIELE -

Martin K.N Siele is the Content Lead at Business Today. He is also a Quartz contributor and a 2021 Baraza Media Lab-Fringe Graph Data Storytelling Fellow. Passionate about digital media, sports and entertainment, Siele also founded Loud.co.ke

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