The Catholic bishops have called for further discussions on the BBI report stating that some issues needed to be ironed out first before the referendum.
The Catholic bishops said that the church was not opposed to the BBI document, but rather concerned about its implementation.
The clerics described the Building Bridges Initiative as ‘our baby” saying that they actively participated in the process and could not oppose it.
The bishops were all in agreement that there needs to be a continued focus on consensus building in order to bring everyone on board.
They further stated that it is important as citizens of one country who want to approach the referendum to do so united and soberly even though they might have different positions.
"We are not opposing BBI we even gave our views and have one of our own in the secretariat. We are now giving our opinion that many of the proposals in BBI are good but there are those that can be implemented later" said Archbishop Philip Anyolo, the chairperson of the assembly of bishops.
Speaking in Nairobi County, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) pointed out that their only request was that the country should not rush to a referendum.
"If people feel that there are important issues for discussion then we should use this time to get solutions instead of saying that we are done with the process yet we still have time to come back to it again" Archbishop Anyolo said.
The Catholic Church has given its position on the document for the second time in a month as the Building Bridges Secretariat forges ahead with plans to change the constitution.
In Subukia mid last month the bishops expressed their reservations on some proposals including plans to give more powers to the president, expansion of parliament and giving political parties a slot in the appointment of IEBC commissioners among other proposals
These proposals, they said, are crucial to the country and therefore they need not be rushed into.
They said the referendum process must not be stopped, but what is needed is civic education, because many Kenyans may not understand the proposals which will be debated by county assemblies.
“The referendum outcome is too important for the future of our country. Consequently, every Kenyan needs to be well aware of the contents of the amendment bill so as to make an informed decision on the ballot," Anyolo said.
They also called for peace during the referendum campaigns stating that the church would be keen on how they are carried out and their outcome.
“We want to categorically state that the church will not be a spectator if peace is disturbed during the referendum and general election campaigns,” they said.
The statement was signed by all the 24 bishops including John Cardinal Njue, archbishops Antony Muheria of Nyeri, Dominic Kimngich of Eldoret and Martin Kivuva of Mombasa. They spoke after a meeting in Karen, Nairobi.
