Senator Kindiki Picks 'Flaws' in BBI Recommendations

Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki has raised key concerns on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) that's set for launch on Monday.

The law professor said the document proposing a number of changes to be instituted by a referendum has plenty of colourful language and attempts to rewrite the constitution.

According to the Senator, the BBI recommendations double the size of parliament and will overstretch the current wage bill. He also noted that it seeks to reward ethnic chiefs from the 5  biggest ethnic communities in Kenya.

"Too much flowery language & an attempt to re-write the Constitution afresh. It doubles the size of Parliament (wage bill) and seeks to reward ethnic chiefs from the 5  biggest ethnic communities going by Kenya's voting pattern since independence," argues Kindiki.

"Nothing to guarantee the "inclusion" of the other 39 ethnicities, not to mention that the underlying philosophy of the Report is in irredeemably flawed," he added.

Senator Kindiki says a number of the proposals in the report including budgetary allocations for the counties can be achieved through the implementation of the constitution.

He said there is nothing that stops the current government from ensuring the counties receive at least 35 per cent of the national cake.

Kindiki fears that if implemented, only five communities will feel accommodated in government while the rest have no guarantees of inclusion.

"The rest of the stuff suggested for constitutional amendment can be addressed by ordinary Parliamentary Statutes. An appropriate Constitutional moment is lacking and if it exists, it is Leaders-driven and not people-demanded.

"Lastly, nothing prevents devolution of 35% of National Revenue to Counties as at now since the 15% is simply put as the floor (minimum) and not the ceiling (maximum)," argued Kindiki.