Editorial: Uhuru deserves praise for naming professionals to BBI

Technocrats must put country above self

by STAR EDITOR

Coast19 December 2019 - 16:03

In Summary

• Many important voices including the Anglican Church had called for the incorporation of professionals.

• Public participation is a pillar of the 2010 Constitution. Another round of views won't hurt.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto, ODM leader Raila Odinga and other leaders during the BBI launch at the Bomas of Kenya on November 27.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed a team of 30 technocrats to the Building Bridges Initiative task force. Part its mandate will be to take the report to the people and listen to their views.

The team will report to the original 14-member committee headed by Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji.

We commend the President for bringing onboard experts to turn the BBI report into what we hope will lead to an even a more progressive Constitution. Many important voices, including the Anglican Church and the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims, had called on the head of state to bring in technocrats to spearhead the next stage.

Getting more public input can never be a waste of time, especially in a critical process like constitutional-making, as some politicians have suggested. Public participation is a pillar of the Constitution. Article 1 states that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya.

However, we call on the new team to remain true to the country and discharge their mandate faithfully. They should discard any partisan political interest and put the country above self. In any case, among the challenges BBI seeks to address, including corruption, ethnic antagonism, affect us all.