Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua has warned proponents of the BBI Bill to be ready for 'hostile' reception in Nyeri County which would lose out in the distribution of the proposed additional 70 constituencies.
Rigathi in rejecting the Bill on Thursday said the manner in which the proposed constituencies are distributed are not only discriminatory but also impoverishing.
He said promoters did not take people’s views on how to allocate the proposed Constituencies across the country.
“I must tell the proponents that they will have difficulty in Nyeri County because they have been discriminated,” Rigathi said.
“Looking at the second schedule, the people of Nyeri have no business supporting the Bill because of discrimination.”
The lawmaker also questioned how the proposed amendments will address inclusivity "when it gives all the proposed offices to one coalition".
“I have looked at this amendment, we have been told that this amendment will address issue of inclusivity but all positions being created will go to one coalition.”
MPs are on the second day debating the Constitution of Kenya (Amendments) Bill, 2020 and are expected to take a vote on the Bill by the end of the day.
Meanwhile, there was drama in Parliament after Otiende Amollo (Rarieda) told minority leader John Mbadi to go slow as he had not been to law school.
Otiende. who was on the floor, sharply differed with Mbadi’s views on whether a proposed constitutional amendment can be described as unconstitutional.
“John Mbadi you have not stepped in law school,” Otiende said when Mbadi tried to intervene.
Mbadi had on Wednesday argued that an amendment cannot be unconstitutional especially coming from a popular initiative.
“How can a proposed amendment to the Constitution be unconstitutional?” Mbadi posed during the debate on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Otiende who is the Vice Chair of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee fired at Mbadi insisting that an amendment can indeed be unconstitutional.
“As a matter of law, a constitutional amendment can be unconstitutional if it does not follow the process in the constitution before it is amended,” Otiende said.
“If we decide – in an amendment – that the President of this country will rotate in only one community, it is unconstitutional.”
The Rarieda MP also clarified that the Committee did not propose amendments to the Bill but instead made observations which he called on the House to consider.
