Editor's Review

  • The division between the two factions emerged after IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati appeared before the committee and said the distribution of the constituencies in the BBI Bill is unconstitutional.

A joint Parliamentary team deliberating on the BBI Bill has been forced to delay the tabling of its report to the Senate and National Assembly after members of the team failed to agree on a proposal seeking to increase the total number of constituencies by 70.

The disagreement has reportedly forced co-chairs of the committee; Senators Okong'o Mogeni (Nyamira) and Muturi Kigano (Kangema) to seek extension in order to settle the differences among committee members before tabling the report.

Media reports indicate that leaders allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta want the new constituencies adopted as part of the Bill, while leaders allied to ODM Leader Raila Odinga are critical of the same.

The division between the two factions emerged after IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati appeared before the committee and said the distribution of the constituencies in the BBI Bill is unconstitutional.

According to Chebukati, only IEBC can distribute constituencies.

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In view of the above, Odinga’s allies have decided to use Chebukati’s remarks to oppose the constituencies distribution which they claim benefits President Kenyatta.

President Kenyatta’s allies, however, insist that Chebukati erred in making the remarks, arguing that the BBI proposal on the new constituencies should be adopted as it is.

“The truth is that there is division…. it is bad now because we have given the work to our researchers for now, but I can tell you as we approach the end of our work, there will be division,” one of the committee members told a local publication.

Meanwhile, Muturi Kigano; one of the committee’s co-chairs noted that the committee will listen to all members and include all the views in its final report.

“…. but we have to do a report. We have to include even the dissenting voices. We have to include them in the report and be able to give our observations.

“We are going to listen to all members but we cannot impose anybody’s views. Let’s us analyse and see,” Kigona said as quoted by a local daily.