PRESIDENT UHURU DEALS BLOW TO BBI PROCESS

The extension of the ban on political gatherings has dealt a blow to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) process.

In his address yesterday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the ban had been extended indefinitely and only gatherings of 150 or less people would be allowed.

This means that tentative timelines for the referendum drive by President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, through the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2020 currently before Parliament and expected to be concluded this week, could be affected.

While Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka has gazetted special sittings for this week to dispense with the matter, National Assembly resumes its sittings on Tuesday after a long recess due to the Covid-19 pandemic that saw both Houses alter their calendars.

If approved by the august House, it will go for presidential assent and later submitted to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which will frame the referendum question and set dates for the vote.  

Politicians will have 90 days to campaign for the BBI Bill.

President Kenyatta and Raila had agreed to roll out a drive to enlighten Kenyans on the contents of the Bill but the surge in Covid-19 cases slowed down “reggae”.

The directive by the president has, however, complicated matters for the pro-BBI faction, especially after political leaders were accused of being “super-spreaders” during the rallies that attracted large crowds.

By Standard Digital