United Green Movement has asked Kenyans to reject the Building Bridges Initiative report.
The political party said the BBI does not respond to the problems of inclusivity, equity, equality and equal opportunity. Co-secretary general Jonathan Mueke regretted that the BBI process gobbled up billions of taxpayers' money “to look for questions that already have answers”.
He explained that recommendations were well addressed in the Krigler Report, the Waki Commission Report, the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission Report, Chapter 6 of the Constitution, Chapter 11 of the Constitutions, the County Governments Act, Agenda 4 and Article 55 of the Constitution.
“Our stand as United Green Movement party, therefore, is that the BBI should be rejected and full implementation of the reports we have stated as well as the 2010 Constitution be embarked on immediately,” he added.
Mueke said that, together with like-minded Kenyans, they will provide leadership to reject the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2020, should President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga insist on taking Kenyans to a referendum.
“We find the entire BBI process a complete sham. It was a process designed from the very beginning to con and coerce Kenyans to vote for the creation of extra political positions that only serve the interests of the ruling elite,” he said at a press conference at party headquarters in Nairobi.
Mueke said the party had identified over a dozen reasons why the BBI should be rejected. He cited the creation of an imperial presidency as one of the reasons Kenyans should reject the process.
He added that it is wrong for the President to hear specific complaints against the Judiciary. “This is a direct threat to the independence of the Judiciary. There are mechanisms that exist under the current Constitution for the Judiciary to check itself internally and then externally by both the President and Parliament,” he said.
He further highlighted the scrapping of the National Police Service Commission as another reason why the report is suspect, describing it as a “poisoned chalice that should be rejected in its totality as its objective shows no evidence of building bridges to a united Kenya”.
