Ruto dispels claims counties stand to lose in BBI collapse
Eric Wainaina and DPPS
Deputy President William Ruto has come out to fight mounting criticism that his rejection of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) bill has denied counties more resources.
Ruto, who has been accused of duping his allies, especially in the Mt Kenya to reject the document hence denying the region more resources, told BBI supporters to stop lying to the country that it was the only route to increasing resources to counties.
Speaking at his Karen residence when he fellowshipped with spiritual leaders from various churches and mosques from Makueni county yesterday, Ruto said the BBI proponents must forward their proposal on the additional resources to devolved units to Parliament if they were true to the cause.
“Counties can still be given more funds through Parliament without the conmanship in the BBI,” he said.
He explained that even the creation of additional constituencies was feasible without taking the country through unnecessarily and costly route of amending the Constitution.
“If Kenyans were in need of more constituencies, then the electoral agency would have been engaged.”
The DP said it was time the country was spared of reckless deceit from some leaders out to score political points after failing to sell BBI to Kenyans.
Hot potato
Collapse of the BBI has fast turned into a political hot potato for Ruto and his allies, with President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga maintaining that Kenyans were the biggest losers in the court’s decision to declare the exercise unconstitutional.
In recent weeks, some leaders from the region have mounted a spirited fight to salvage some sections of the project.
BBI had proposed 35 per cent allocation to counties from the current 15 per cent, creation of a ward fund, tax breaks for small business and additional constituencies for the region.
“We have lost Sh53 billion that would gone to the Mt Kenya counties. We have lost nearly 30 additional constituencies,” said Ndaragua MP Jeremiah Kioni.
