Kisii residents back Speaker Muturi for opposing move to amend BBI bill
A section of Kisii County residents yesterday supported Parliament’s Speaker, Justin Muturi’s ruling to stop members of parliament from amending the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill.
Alfred Getate, chairman of Transporters in the County lauded the Speaker’s decision, noting if he allowed the Mps to amend the Bill, it would have generated a lot of debate and derailed the process.
The official cited the creation of the 70 constituencies across the country, noting that some members of parliament were divided on whether they should be handled within the Bill or not.
He said some lawmakers wanted the creation of the electoral areas to be left to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) while others opposed, stressing the matter had divided the House and was generating heat.
“There’s no way members of parliament could have agreed on the constituencies since some wanted them but were not included in the final Building Bridges Initiative Report,” Getate told People Daily in Kisii town shortly after Speaker Muturi ruled on the matter.
He said that if the Mps were allowed to amend the Bill as they were demanding, it would negate the views which were collected from the members of the public and violate the constitution.
Getate noted that amending the Bill would take more time and it will affect the referendum calendar and the 2022 general election which should be conducted within specific timelines to comply with the supreme law.
Nyabuto Onyambu, a Human Rights activist echoed Getate’s sentiments, stressing the proposal by the Mps to amend the Bill would give room for the Mps to demand for more amendments in the Bill.
“We have no time left. So, the Mps should shelve their selfish interest and respect the ruling of the Speaker” Onyambu said.
