NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 13 – ODM Party Leader Raila Odinga says the collection of one million signatures to amend the constitution through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report will commence next week.
Raila told a news conference on Friday that he expects the exercise which is to be conducted within 30 days to be done expeditiously so as to pave way for the referendum which is scheduled for next year in June.
“We want that exercise to be done as quickly as possible so that the matter can be handed to the electoral commission and then we can move towards the next phase of a referendum,” he said.
The former Prime Minister said the exercise should at least be concluded by April next year.
Raila also pointed out that during the week he will also be meeting various political leaders and groups with a view of building more consensus around the BBI report and perhaps make a few editorial changes to the document.
“We are going to be talking to some representatives including Governors and women representatives and leaders of county assemblies,” he said.
With the roadmap of the referendum process now clear, the next phase will be for the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to verify the signatures once the process is complete.
The Wafula Chebukati-led commission is expected to verify the signatures within a period of seven days from the date they would have received the signatures.
Once the verification exercise is done, the poll body is then expected to give a go ahead for the referendum bill to be debated in all the 47 county assemblies with 24 assemblies required to approve it to keep the referendum drive alive.
Odinga’s remarks came a day after President Uhuru Kenyatta, his co-principal in the BBI process, on Thursday reiterated that the BBI report constitutional review report is aimed at uniting all Kenyans and bringing political inclusivity in the country.
While rallying support for the report during his State of the National Address to a joint Parliament sitting on Thursday, Kenyatta said the country’s future demands a constitutional change and Kenyans should not be afraid of this change.
“More importantly, let us engage in positive discourse on BBI with a view to effecting far-reaching changes that will address the perennial challenges we have faced as a Nation including negative ethnicity; inclusion; equitable development and our fight against corruption,” Kenyatta urged.
“I have seen our future and this is how it looks like: a Kenya where no one will ascend to high public office on account of their tribe, a Kenya where no one will wallow in poverty due to poor governance and a Kenya where will all share equitably in this prosperity of this nation.”
Kenyatta, who admitted that the report has sparked great public debate, called on Kenyans and political leaders at large to raise and resolve issues of concern by consensus building and prioritizing peace while at it.
“This moment in time is our meeting with destiny. When generations come long after we are gone, let them say that we made the right decision at this moment; that we chose unity over division; that we dreamt of and birthed a happier, more harmonious and more prosperous Nation,” said Kenyatta.
The BBI report launched on October 26 has since elicited mixed reactions with all stakeholders calling for amendments to capture their interests and those of the people they represent.
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