- Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok said he cannot oppose the expected BBI report but he cannot support it until he see the document.
- CS Wamalwa said the BBI report will address need of residents by allocating more funds to counties.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has urged Turkana leaders to support the BBI report because it will mean more money for the counties.
Wamalwa said he witnessed the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, saying it produced the Building Bridges Initiative that will address residents' needs.
“Put your political differences aside and unite. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Jubilee or Nasa, we have to work together for the benefits of the resident," he said.
"We want to support it so the county allocation can be increased from 15 to 35 per cent to promote grassroots development,” the CS said.
A referendum will be required to amend the Constitution to realise some BBI recommendations.
Wamalwa was speaking in Urum, Loima, while commemorating the anniversary of the Kenya-Uganda of cross border peace and development.
However, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok said he cannot oppose or support the BBI report until he sees the document.
“We want to see the BBI report first before we declare our stand. We want to see whether what we had proposed as Turkana leaders were captured or not,” Nanok said.
“It’s not an objection or abusing anyone, it’s our right as people of Turkana for our interests to be addressed in the report before any changes to the Constitution," he said.
The governor criticised Loima MP Jeremiah Lomurkai for pushing other leaders to accept what they haven’t seen until the report is released.
“I will call all Turkana leaders for a meeting to review the BBI report and collect views from leaders before we come up with our stand.
"If the document is right, if the county allocation is okay, if the county government will still exist and other recommendations are addressed - then we will support the BBI report to change the Constitution,” Nanok said.
“We don’t want to be forced to accept something that we haven’t seen because it’s our democracy,” he said.
Nanok said he was speaking on behalf of people who don't have a voice and all elected leaders, including MPs and MCAs - except MP Lomurkai.
Lomurkai, who is also a vice chairman of ODM, said he will not allow Nanok to "mislead" the Turkana people that the BBI report will not help them.
The ODM party in August last year announced that Nanok's party position had been taken up by the Lomurkai. It said Nanok had suggested many times that he had shifted his allegiance to Deputy President William Ruto
John Munyes, CS for Petroleum and Mining, said people cannot want development in Turkana but oppose the development agenda and government of President Uhuru Kenyatta ... If you're fighting the President, it won't happen."
He said as a pastoral community, Turkana must be in government. He said he cannot accept the Turkana people to be left out while Baringo, Samburu and West Pokot are in government.
(Edited by V. Graham)