Kenyans are likely to have a final validated report of the Building Bridges Initiative much earlier than the June deadline.
The BBI task force concludes its validation forums in Nairobi on Tuesday with presentations from Senator James Orengo, Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Victor Prengei, Ijara and Suba communities, the Young Parliamentarians Association, Media Council of Kenya, Peace Building and Disaster Response Directorate and the Mental Healthcare Task force.
Joint secretary Paul Mwangi also told the Star the task force has two more public rallies - one in Nairobi on March 28 and another in Nakuru on March 21.
“The workload will determine when we will complete our work and hand over the report,” he said.
Mwangi said the task force will continue to receive written submissions until the end of the month.
The team will then retreat to an undisclosed location where they will write the report that will be presented to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
In January, President Kenyatta extended the mandate of the task force to June. The 14-member team is supposed to propose statutory or constitutional changes necessary for the implementation of the BBI report.
During the first phase of the consultative forums, the task force crisscrossed all the 47 counties to collect opinions on main challenges facing the country, notably how to prevent election violence. It was asked to consider a possible alternate system of governance with a prime minister.
The BBI report proposes that Kenyans continue to elect their President, who remains the head of state and government, but some leaders want a prime minister with executive powers
Kenya will see the return of the position of a prime minister if the task force’s proposals are to be implemented in full.
Last month, Mwangi nonetheless said a referendum was inevitable if the proposals made so far are to be implemented. He explained there are no other ways of implementing some of the proposed structural and constitutional changes.
ODM on Friday stepped up its push to have a referendum held by the end of July this year. Senator Orengo asked the National Treasury to present to Parliament a supplementary budget to fund a referendum.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka said it is possible to have a referendum by September, if the question or questions are set by June by the BBI Steering Committee.
Kalonzo said that it would be difficult to plan a referendum in 2021 and also prepare for 2022 succession politics.
ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi said it is upon Parliament to make sure a referendum is held sooner rather than later.
On Tuesday, the task force received submissions from National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut), Association of Retired Police Officers, Kenya Young Members of County Assemblies, Kenya Association of Retired Officers and the Sabaot Community.
Knut said the Teachers Service Commission should be domiciled in the ministry of Education.
Deputy secretary general Hesbon Otieno said TSC has to be brought under the control of the State Department of Basic Education "to be in line with the Constitution and UNESCO dictates".
He said accountability and democratic decision-making can only be achieved if teachers are under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Education.
“Promotion of quality and relevant education can only be achieved if teachers are under the ministry of Education,” he added.
Otieno added that providing every child in a public school with equal standards of education is only possible through direct collaboration between teachers and Ministry of Education officials.
The Kenya Association of Retired Officers proposed the government puts in place sound medical cover for public-sector retirees.
“This will stop further suffering and embarrassment of public-sector retirees,” said Grace Otieno, the organising secretary.
She explained said during their working life, public officers contribute to medical cover but they lose this support when they retire.
“As public retirees age, they suffer from many chronic illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis and high blood pressure. These conditions are generally not covered by private insurers,” she told the Yusuf Haji-led task force.
The Association of Retired Police Officers proposed the formation of the Kenya Bureau of Investigations.
“KBI should have constitutional anchorage and independence befitting the central role that it shall play in the maintenance of national peace and security,” the association’s spokesperson Francis Sang said.
He added that KBI should be under the supervision of the National Security Council which in turn should be answerable to Parliament.
“It is envisaged that the KBI shall be responsible for all the functions of prevention, detection and investigation of serious and complex crimes, and cede maintenance of law and order,” he added.
He also said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations receives inadequate financial and logistical support.
“While there are several competing interests for financial resources, the current funding levels for the DCI are inadequately granted the heavy functions it is expected to undertake. For instance, in the FY 2019-2020r, the DCI was allocated only Sh7.1 billion out of Sh00 billion allocated to the National Police Service,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)
