Anti BBI celebrations in Kabarnet town turn chaotic as police disperse crowd
Anti BBI celebrations in Kabarnet town turned chaotic after police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse a crowd that had gathered on Friday to celebrate a high court ruling which outlawed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) process.
Police alighted from their vehicle and suddenly disperse the crowd which had gathered momentum since morning.
The police, according to County commander Robinson Ndiwa, dispersed the crowd since such huge gathering have been banned in the country in accordance with Ministry of Health Covid-19's protocols.
“It is very obvious that public gathering are banned in the county due to covid-19 and as such we wouldn’t have allowed such a gathering to happen,” confirmed Ndiwa in a telephone conversation.
Some of the leaders who had turned up for the celebrations led by Baringo speaker David Kiplagat said that the pronouncement made by the five judge bench is similar to the decision the County assembly made in February this year where they rejected the bill.
The Speaker said they were now in celebration mood because a referendum and the bill coming into law would have added an extra burden when majority of Kenyans feel that the cost of living has gone too high.
He mentioned that other local leaders like county senator Gideon Moi, Women Rep Gladwell Cheruiyot and Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandie are a letdown because they did not give the true wishes of Baringo people when the bill was being voted upon in both the senate and the National assembly.
Tenges Ward MCA Silas Tochim in a rejoinder thanked the high court judges for their ruling adding that the judgment was historic and will become reference to other cases in the country and beyond in future.
“The judiciary have shown that they are independent and cannot be compromised and coerced like the senate, the national assembly and some county assemblies,” he alleged.
His Bartabwa counterpart Reuben Chepsongol warned that some of the leaders who went against the wishes of the people will automatically relinquish their current positions in the 2022 general elections.
Chepsongol who was also accompanied by MCAs John Tarus (Tenges) and Kipruto Kimosop (Mochongoi) stated that the region was fully behind the candidature of Dr. William Samoei Ruto to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in the coming general elections.
It should be remembered that Baringo was the first among the four counties whose county assemblies shot down.
The ruling seems to have vindicated the local leadership who were castigated for being the first county to vote no to the refendum bill in the county assemblies.
