Deputy President Dr. William Ruto now calls for further amendments to the BBI Bill, signalling his readiness to lead the ‘No’ campaign.

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Ruto and his team want the referendum to be held alongside the 2022 General Election at no cost.

“The referendum question can be included in the general election as the 7th question. We recommend that we have the referendum at the general elections and this will be at no extra cost for the IEBC,” he said.

His sentiments were echoed by Garissa Township member of parliament, and Ruto’s lieutenant,  Aden Duale.

“Given the foregoing, it is legitimate to question the wisdom of spending Sh.14B shillings a year before an election, that will cost us another Sh. 42B going by the 2017 figures of the IEBC…”

Ruto said they want to be persuaded why they cannot do the referendum in 2022.

“These are proposals we are putting in good faith. We appreciate that there has been a lot of push and pull. We are not making any demands; we are putting our case and believe we have a strong case. There is room to further amend this document. It is never too late to amend it.” He said.

Addressing the media on Wednesday after a meeting with over 150 leaders among them governors, Ruto said everything that needed to be said has been said.

“We care far too much for this country to reduce this matter to a Yes or No contest. We are of the view that the referendum should be held alongside the 2022 General Election…” a statement by Ruto and his allies read.

Ruto said Kenyans are concerned about the bloated government.

“Apart from the 47 women elected in the Senate, we propose that we retain the 47 women elected in National Assembly. This would reduce the size of Parliament,” he said, adding, “I am aware that many people want us to take a position on this document (BBI) and I want to tell you that where we are now is a point that requires a lot of thinking, a lot of reflection, a lot of consultation and that is what we were doing.”