[Contributions from Josphat Kinyua (Nyeri), Rosemary Onchari (Nyamira) and others.
NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 23 – More than half of the 47 county assemblies have passed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill, surpassing the constitutional threshold required for it to proceed to Parliament in the road to a national referendum.
On Tuesday, more than 10 county assemblies approved the Bill including Makueni, Kitui, Narok, Kakamega, Mombasa, Bungoma, Nyamira, Taita Taveta and Murang’a.
Others which passed the Bill Tuesday are Machakos, Nyeri, Lamu, Nyandarua, Kirinyaga, Tharaka Nithi and Garissa.
By Monday, 12 county assemblies had passed the Bill namely Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, Busia, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Kajiado, Kisii, Nairobi, Vihiga, Laikipia and Samburu.
So far only Baringo County Assembly has voted to oppose the Bill.
The Bill requires the approval of 24 counties for it to be presented to both Houses of Parliament for consideration and thereafter be subjected to a national referendum.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader Raila Odinga who is on the frontline championing for the Constitutional Amendment Bill alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta exuded confidence that by Tuesday the Bill would have received the support of 24 Counties.
The Bill which proposes the expansion of the National Executive by adding the Office of the Prime Minister and two deputies was borne out of a March 2018 truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Odinga which ended hostilities sparked by the latter’s rejection of the 2017 presidential election outcome.
