The Building Bridges Committee will resume hearings next week with sittings in Northeastern region even as its one year mandate draws to a close.
Joint secretary of the 14-member team Martin Kimani on Friday said they will be in Samburu before heading to Laikipia, Marsabit and the northeastern counties.
The task force chaired by Wajir senator Yusuf Haji has already been to Kitui, Machakos, Meru, Embu, Kilifi and Mombasa.
They have also held sessions with union leaders and a number of consultants in Nairobi. “We’re confident the team will complete an overwhelming part of its task by June,” Kimani told the Star by phone.
June is the team’s deadline to present its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The main political parties such as Jubilee, ODM, ANC and Wiper are yet to present their views to the panel.
A leaked internal document shows ODM plans to propose a single seven-year term for the presidency.
The party is rooting for a parliamentary system of government and three-tier government with 14 regions.
The team’s recommendations, according to the legal notice that established the task force, will be binding. That notice raises the possibility of a referendum to validate the recommendations of the team.
The team has already received proposals from organisations, institutions and individuals that can only be effected through a public vote.
Kimani said they wouldn’t want to rush the hearings as the process’ objective is to get as many views as possible. “We are focused to meet the deadline,” he said after the team completed its two-day review of the issues raised in the first leg of the public forums.
Kimani raised concerns of apathy by professionals including doctors, engineers and journalists whom he said have given the hearings a wide berth. “Even for those who speak with us, we find that they are more inclined to politics,” Kimani said.
”In as much as most of the views come from political players, professionals know more. The talks we are holding are not just about the election but also on sector-oriented solutions which only experts can give.”
He cited the shared prosperity objective, which is one of the nine-point agenda of the March 9 handshake between Uhuru and Opposition chief Raila Odinga.
The nine-point agenda includes areas that need the input of business players, Kimani said. He asked politicians to give the team a chance to do its work, saying it has no political motive as has been alleged.
Deputy President William Ruto’s allies have previously claimed the initiative is meant to put roadblocks to his 2022 presidential bid.
“The team was not set up to seize or end other people’s political career. All major leaders have expressed their support for this cause and we will be able to show that it was worth it,” Kimani said.
“We all have to appreciate that we live in a democracy, meaning we can’t agree on matters 100 per cent.