Uasin Gishu Assembly Makes Unusual Decision on BBI

Governor Jackson Mandago
Governor Jackson Mandago
Kenyans.co.ke

Uasin Gishu County Assembly has become the first county to refrain from debating and taking a vote on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill.

On March 9, the county MCAs said they would let Kenyans decide whether the bill would be taken to a referendum.

This comes after a majority of the MCAs supported a report presented by the Legal Committee to neither vote Yes nor No on the Bill.

From the 27 who supported the motion, only 19 MCAs opposed the report.

Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat
Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat
File

The county assembly had engaged members of the public on a debate over the BBI in the previous week where they proved undecided on whether to support or reject the Bill.

The county speaker and MCAs, who had alleged external interferences from the Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju, were undecided whether to vote for or against the Bill.

Tuju had earlier called 17 Uasin Gishu MCAs for a meeting at Jubilee headquarters days ahead of the debate.

The party members were expected to support the bill, a failure to which they would face the consequences according to the party's laws.

Uasin Gishu Deputy Speaker David Kiplagat on February 16 said they would be guided by the county residents and the law as to whether or not they would pass the Bill.

"That (Tuju's warning) is against the constitution which gives the MCAs the power to represent the people who have elected them. Our decision will therefore be based on what the people will say," he asserted.

He also added that the county had faced all sorts of intimidation from the government but the will of the people of Uasin Gishu would overcome it all.

President Uhuru Kenyatta reading proposals contained in the BBI report at State House
President Uhuru Kenyatta reading proposals contained in the BBI report at State House
PSCU
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