Debate on the proposed constitutional amendments is becoming a hindrance to service delivery, ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi has said.
Mudavadi urged the people driving the Building Bridges Initiative to put a closure to the debate. He said the proposed changes “have become the talk of the town day and night”.
“It now looks like all the energy has been directed to the BBI process as if it is the alpha and omega of all the problems affecting this country,” he said.
He added that the debate is making some Kenyans think the BBI is “the sole redeemer” and will give the country a permanent solution to its problems.
“Service provision in the public service will be paralysed if the country does not move with speed and put a closure to the BBI debate,” he said.
In a statement, the former Vice President said Kenyans have been treated to BBI theatrics for three years at the expense of other critical issues affecting the country.
"Let us make our civil service work because the debate around the BBI has gone on and on. We have reached a stage where people in the public service want to know if you are for BBI or anti-BBI.”
He warned that the country might not have its priorities right going into 2021 if leaders continue talking about the BBI and nothing else.
"Let us put a closure to this debate in a very well-organised way, having incorporated broad consensus. Kenyans need to focus on the recovery of the economy. That should be our single-most important goal right now,” Mudavadi said.
He said that the BBI process should not overtake the crucial and urgent needs of the country.
“We need to seek ways of getting back on our feet and for alternative approaches in reviving the economy and making it work. We need to build people’s capacities in areas such as agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium enterprises,” he said.
Mudavadi called on leaders, more so the political class, to promote broader dialogue ahead of the referendum. He said leaders must avoid dividing the country along political and ethnic lines when discussing the BBI.
“This is Kenya. Let us make ourselves truly Kenya. Let us unite, let us not be divisive. Let us build a broader consensus on many issues. Let us walk away from this notion that if you have a different opinion from mine you become my enemy.”
Insisting that leadership should be based on honesty, trust and truth, Mudavadi said politicians be at the forefront of uniting the country.
