By TMJ Reporter in
Nairobi
Senate Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata is at the cross road over the claim that the Building
Bridges Initiative (BBI) fronted by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader
Raila Odinga stood rejection in Central Kenya.
Kang’ata, who had been a
core supporter of the constitutional reforms castigating Deputy President
William Ruto, opened a can of worms when he spoke ill of the reports basing on
his personal fact finding mission.
In a letter to the President, dated December 30,2020,
through Jubilee Party Secretary General,
the senate majority whip outlined
the challenges that could lead to the rejection of the document.
The letter has led to
mixed reaction from the public and leaders, with Tharaka Senator Kithure
Kindiki said the leak of the sensitive
letter was amateurish and may result in
unforeseen consequences.
“ A bit of tact and sophistication
was required, said Kithure in his twitter.
The Senator with other leaders in a burial ceremony in kangari area in Murang’a.
Murang’a MP Sabina Chege has dismissed claims by Senate Majority Whip Irungu Kang’ata that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) stands to fail in Mt Kenya region.
Chege said remarks by Kang’ata were out of contest, as he rushed to give his opinion concerning the ongoing constitution reform process.
He moved to distance himself from the document
two days after his political ally Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura abandoned the Kieleweke wing of Jubilee to the Tanga Tanga movement associated with Ruto.
In his analysis for the 10 persons he randomly
picked on the report six rejected, two supported it.
“In my visit to my rural
area in Gathinja village in Murang’a
county, I found the diverse views on the report,” said the senator.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the
government using public servants to sell the narrative with the limited skills.
“Those spearheading the
BBI are politicians like in Kangema where a rival to MP Muturi Kigano is in
charge.
“This grievance is
silently brewing among the MPs in parliament where a number of them are ‘komerera’ (political
double agents) who are bidding their time before they bolt out. In the Senate,
by virtue
of age, personal
resources and political experience of most elected Senators, this is not a
major issue. I have personally made efforts to intervene on their behalf to
relevant authorities to no avail.
There is a general
feeling of economic deprivation at household levels in the region .” read part
of the letter.
A section
of the letter written by the senator to the President
Dear Sir,
REF: BBI IN MT. KENYA:
PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES
Introduction
I take this opportunity
to thank you for the support rendered to Senate leadership last year. As a
result,
Senate has passed
several key matters of public importance to the credit of the Government due to
this
renewed synergy. They
include your timely intervention on county revenue sharing stalemate.
Kindly allow me to
address myself to matters BBI which will dominate public debate in 2021. I will
confine
myself to matters
relevant to greater Mt. Kenya region. This is because as an elected leader from
the region,
I often interact with
its residents more in comparative terms. I also have a good rapport with
regional leaders
who unreservedly express
local sentiments.
I do so with deep
conviction and faith that I have in this administration .Having been entrusted
with party
leadership in the Senate, I
owe the party a duty to be truthful in reporting on matters relevant to my
mandate.
In this letter,
reference to ‘BBI’ includes the Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2020 which is
slated for referendum in June 2021.
Prospects
By virtue of the good
development work done by your administration, BBI ought to have a smooth
sailing in the region .
These works include the
many newly paved roads and water projects implemented by your good administration.
On a personal level, my
very own rural village of Gathinja in Kahuhia (Kiharu) now has electricity in
addition to an ongoing tarmac road project that will terminate into neighboring
Gacharaigu
village in Kangema
constituency.
This experience is true
for many Mt. Kenya residents. It would therefore be assumed that BBI, being a
document propagated by a government that has done so much good for its people, should
have an easy sailing in the region.
BBI contains many
benefits for the region which if it fails may be lost forever. There is no
guarantee a new regime where ‘our son’ is not on the driving seat will offer
these benefits to the region.
They include creation
of new constituencies,
embedding in the Constitution ’one man one shilling one vote’ principle
(proposed new article 203) and more resources to the counties.
I foresee a legal crisis
of great proportion that impacts the region negatively in the unlikely event of
BBI’s failure particularly on two issues. Firstly, small constituencies like
Mukurweini, Othaya and Mathioya will be scrapped by IEBC because they offend
population quotas set by Article 89 of the Constitution.
Secondly, the new third generation counties
revenue sharing formula which is positive for the region as it grants fair
weight to population will be
negated because it was predicated on increment of devolved funds. Whereas a
policy of lifting the floor under Article 203 (2) of the Constitution can be
used to remedy this, it’s far much better
for counties where there
is a constitutional compulsion for devolving more money than a policy whim.
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