No room for changing BBI! Raila’s point men tell off Ruto

After Deputy President William Ruto on Monday 26th October brought Bomas to a standstill while he expressed his reservations regarding the BBI report that was being launched, a section of leaders allied to ODM leader Raila Odinga have answered him.

Led by ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna,the lobby group for Western Kenya has urged the President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga not to listen to leaders calling for reviews in the BBI and rather push for a referendum.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, Sifuna, MPs Caleb Amisi (Saboti) and Godfrey Osotsi alleged that those leaders calling for a review only meant to derail the process.

According to the leaders, there is no more room for reviews and rather what is left is to focus on the next step.
Policy issues should be taken to the cabinet, legislative ones to Parliament while those touching on the Constitution should be taken to the people through a referendum,” Osotsi said.

“The window to give views is closed. The Constitutional amendment Bill is sealed; we are not going to open discussion on an issue that has taken two years.”

Few leaders who were at the Bomas on Monday during the launch of the much hyped report expressed the need to have the document reviewed. ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi was one of the leaders who revealed that the report had rendered the Senate toothless by clipping its powers in handling devolution matters. A comment the DP sided with.

“If you are saying women are going to the Senate whose functions are downgraded, are you enhancing or downgrading the participation of women?” Ruto posed.

Apart from that,the DP also  raised a number of concerns, for instance, Ruto said the winner-take-it all problem had not been solved by the creation of Prime Minister posts and two deputies, who are to be appointed by the President from the majority in the Parliament.

On the proposals on the IEBC, Ruto said they are not clear and BBI has not issued a solution to the winner-takes it all perception in the country when it comes to elections.