Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria on Tuesday, January 7, spoke against a proposed referendum on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.
Senate Minority Leader James Orengo had on Monday called for President Uhuru Kenyatta to gazette the extension of the BBI taskforce's term for a referendum to be held by July 2020.
Speaking at the funeral of Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua's mother in Nyeri County, Kuria came out strongly against Orengo and the proposed plebiscite.
He vowed that no referendum would happen as he alongside other MPs would ensure no money was allocated to facilitate the process.
Questioning the necessity of the referendum, Kuria stated that he would instead bring to Parliament a bill to guarantee minimum returns for coffee, tea and dairy farmers.
"I'm hearing about Ksh10 Billion for BBI, MPs, tell us if the money is there. There is no money for BBI or referendum we are allowing in the budget.
"I will bring a bill known as 'GMR' meaning 'Guaranteed Minimum Returns'. A coffee farmer will be payed a minimum bonus of Ksh100 per kilo, Ksh50 per kilo for tea and Ksh40 for a litre of milk," he asserted.
He went on to mention other MPs present at the event who sit on various committees tasked with oversight of the country's finances as his allies in the plan to block any attempts to approve a budget for the speculative referendum.
Led by Orengo, opposition legislators had announced that BBI consultative meetings would be scheduled for upcoming weeks all over the country, with the first to be held in Kisii County on Friday.
“We want to see matters that are policy and statutory in nature. The committee needs to start working as early as possible,” Orengo maintained.
Over 70 legislators mostly allied to Deputy President William Ruto were present at the funeral in Nyeri. Among them were Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen, Kandara MP Alice Wahome and Kilifi Woman Representative Aisha Jumwa.
Ruto who also attended the event and was hailed as a 'true friend' by many of the leaders who spoke including Gachagua.
