Ten million copies of the BBI report can now be printed after the Yusuf Haji-led taskforce was gazetted following the extension of its term, a lawmaker has said.
Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu said the copies could not be printed as the day the document was being launched at Bomas coincided with the expiry of the taskforce's time.
“One of the things Kenyans have never understood is that the day we launched the BBI report was also the day that the taskforce that had been formed to do the report ended their work,” he said.
“So, even the work of printing copies has to be done by someone. There has to be a taskforce, which is the one the President has proposed and it had to be gazetted so it can start printing the document.”
Wambugu, however, urged those who have access to the digital or print version of the report to help those who may fail to get it. The report s not to allow people to agree but to discuss and propose the way forward for the country, he added.
“So I would feel so sad when I hear the Deputy President looking like he is trying to discourage us from having a conversation about our country,” he said.
Ruto recently criticised those holding BBI meetings, saying it was a waste of taxpayers’ money. He accused politicians of using the BBI to campaign for 2022. The DP spoke in Vihiga. He referred to a Nyanza region meeting held in Kisii. It was attended by politicians, mainly from ODM, and government officials led by Interior CS Fred Matiang'i.
But Wambugu disagreed with DP Ruto’s claims that taxpayers money was being used. He said no money has been set aside by parliament or the BBI. “I haven’t seen a proposal. We are the ones who allocate money as members of Parliament and I haven’t seen a proposal to Parliament to allocate money for the BBI,” he said.
He accused Tangatanga politicians of trying to cause confusion among Kenyans and urged Ruto to raise such issues in the Cabinet, instead of making it a political conversation to split Kenyans.
The legislator said everybody, including DP William Ruto, MPs and clerics, should speak in a bid to come up with a solution that all Kenyans will agree on based on the things raised in the BBI report. He said Kenyans are free to discuss the report in churches, market places or even their homes using the few copies available.
