NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 23 – The Building Bridges Initiatives (BBI) Secretariat and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have continued to trade accusations on who among them is to blame for the submission of different versions of the Building Bridges Initiatives Constitutional Amendment Bill 2020,to the county assemblies.
This is after the poll agency distanced itself on Thursday from allegations and instead blamed the BBI team for the error which led to some counties debating and approving the wrong version of the Bill
In a statement, IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati said the Commission forwarded to counties the same copies of the document that it received from the BBI promoters.
“The Commission would like to state that on December 10, 2020, it received from BBI promoters six printed copies of the draft Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2020 and supporter’s details.”
“On the same day, the BBI promoters delivered to the Commission 57 printed copies of the Bill, out of which the commission submitted 47 copies to the County Assemblies,” he said
IEBC’s response followed revelations that only 13 County Assemblies debated and passed the correct Bill that is supposed to be considered by Parliament.
Forty-three county assemblies approved the Bill, Baringo rejected it and Uasin Gishu opted to abstained.
Chebukati went on to explain that in compliance with Article 257(4) of the Constitution, the Commission undertook verification exercise and ascertained that the one million supporters threshold had been met.
“On January 26, 2021, the Commission requested BBI promoters for additional printed copies of the Bill for onward transmission to County Assemblies. On the same date, BBI promoters delivered 57 printed copies, out of which the commission submitted 47 copies to Assemblies,” he said.
BBI Secretariat Joint Secretary Paul Mwangi on Wednesday challenged the electoral agency to come clean on the reported error.
He said the BBI team who are the promoters of a popular initiative submitted to IEBC a draft Bill with the signatures.
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