• The team said about 1.5 million people had signed to approve the process by Sunday.
• The number was collated from the signature booklets and the online platform unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga last week.
Image: DOUGLAS OKIDDY
The Building Bridges Initiative secretariat has denied reports that chiefs and other administrators are collecting signatures to ratify a referendum to change the Constitution.
The team said about 1.5 million people had signed to approve the process by Sunday.
The number was collated from the signature booklets and the online platform unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga last week.
BBI co-chairs Junet Mohamed and Dennis Waweru were confident of netting two million signatures by end of Monday.
The drive is expected to end on Thursday and the signatures verified by the secretariat. Thereafter, the booklets will be taken to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for verification and processing.
“We, therefore, project that we shall be done with the exercise by end of the week and move to the next step,” Junet said in their joint statement.
The National Assembly Minority Whip called on hardliners to abandon their position, saying the proposed amendments will change the country for the better.
Deputy President William Ruto has signalled he'll support the process but some politicians in his inner circle still want him to lead the ‘No’ camp.
Already, a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday at Ruto’s Karen residence.
The session to be attended by DP’s think-tank and close allies is expected to give his final position on the document.
“We appeal to the hardliners to take time and read the Bill because when they do, they will realise it is a well thought-out document. This document is not about President Uhuru and Raila. It is about the prosperity and posterity of our great country,” Junet said.
While the team said administrators are not involved, the Star can report that assistant chiefs are leading the signatures drive in their sublocations.
The majority had a target of mobilising up to 500 signatures before Wednesday.
The administrators received the booklets on Sunday and were instructed to return them on Tuesday with the signatures.
They are also required to give daily updates to the subcounty commissioners on the progress of the drive.
But according to the BBI secretariat, the administrators are only providing security to the coordinators collecting signatures. The coordinators are at the county, subcounty and ward levels, Junet said.
“Our signatures are not being collected by assistant chiefs; our signatures are being collected by our coordinators. Other government structures are providing security and necessary facilitation out of their own job description,” Junet said.
Waweru said they had identified coordinators in all the 13 regions and are working with teams in the 290 constituencies.
“The chiefs and their assistants are providing security to our coordinators. We do not understand this story doing the rounds that provincial administration is involved in this exercise,” Waweru said.
On Sunday, anti-BBI lobby group Linda Katiba termed the use of chiefs as returning the country to dictatorial Kanu regime where the provincial administration served as the enforcement wing of the imperial presidency.
“We are already receiving reports that chiefs and assistant chiefs are being coerced – and [are] coercing others - to collect signatures for the referendum campaign. We call upon Kenyans to resist this flagrant abuse of power and to flag any incidents they encounter through social media,” the activists said.
Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua also faulted the use of the administrators without explaining the contents of the bill, terming it an abuse of the officers.
“Our 70 assistant chiefs in Mathira constituency were summoned this morning (Sunday) by their respective deputy county commissioners. They were given signature forms in support of the BBI and directed to obtain 500 signatures each and submit the same by 8.30am on Monday morning,” Rigathi said.
“They are being challenged to explain that the whole BBi is all about. Majority of them are admitting to their subjects that they also do not know the contents or how it will benefit the people.”