A jubilee Member of Parliament allied to Deputy President William Ruto gave stern conditions under which the Mt. Kenya bloc would accept President Uhuru Kenyatta's Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Reports by K24 indicated that Mathira Member of Parliament (MP) Rigathi Gachagua disclosed that they would support BBI only if it addresses issues affecting the Mount Kenya region.
Speaking in Mathira constituency on Saturday, November 23, Gachagua argued that the BBI proposal should address the problems facing the coffee, tea, dairy sector and tackle the rampant unemployment among the youth.
"The prices of coffee, tea and dairy should also be mentioned in there. If we are to create opportunities for opposition leader Raila Odinga, jobs for the youth should be put in there," he demanded.
Rigathi also assured his constituents that Uhuru had affirmed that Kenyans would be allowed to discuss, study, dialogue and build consensus and see what is acceptable.
“We are looking forward to the release of BBI. We know the President was here the other day and gave us the assurance that everybody will get a chance to discuss it,” Gachagua noted.
He thus called for equitable sharing of resources according to an area’s population, arguing that regions with few people received equal resources with those that are densely populated.
Gachagua added that he would have no problem with BBI if it addresses the equal distribution of resources, one man one vote, one shilling and allowed people to elect the President directly.
The legislator also disclosed that he anticipated the severe penalties and sanctions put in place to contain those who refuse to accept election results.
"Between today and Tuesday, they still have an opportunity to add one recommendation. If the country is honestly keen getting rid of election violence, Odinga should exit from Kenyan politics," Rigathi declared.
He argued that Raila was the sole problem of electoral violence because he has never accepted the poll results.
Gachagua also disputed that MPs should be allowed to elect the President, adding that people should be allowed to directly elect the Head of State House.
“We cannot allow members of Parliament to choose the president,” he warned.
In an interview with K24's Anne Kiguta, Gachagua and Nyeri MP Wambugu Ngunjiri fleshed out their sentiments on the handshake between the president and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Gachagua clearly stated that he had no problem with the president but was, nevertheless, opposed to Raila despite the unifying handshake.
"Uhuru had stated that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) would be presented to the people and would be debated accordingly. However, I have a problem with Raila who once stated in Kibra that whoever opposed the BBI would encounter a tsunami," Gachagua disclosed.
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