Uhuru, Raila plan for June referendum
President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga with parliamentarians from both the Senate and the National Assembly in a joint press statement at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha on November2, 2020.
What you need to know:
- The exercise will take 30 days up to December 2.
- Mr Kilonzo said they discussed the drafting a bill, collection of signatures and a referendum question
A referendum on constitutional changes aimed at establishing the position of Prime Minister, two deputies and more seats in Parliament is scheduled for June, just 14 months to the next General Election.
According to a roadmap released by MPs in Naivasha yesterday and attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, proponents of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) seek to collect a million signatures from registered voters this month to back the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The exercise will take 30 days up to December 2.
A million signatures
“We had discussions on collection of a million signatures among other issues key to a referendum,” said Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo.
Preparation and submission of signatures as well as the draft Bill to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is planned for between December 2 and 9. The IEBC will then verify the signatures between December 10 and January 10.
The Bill will be submitted to county assemblies on January 11, which will have 30 days to scrutinise and either, approve or reject it. The Bill will then be tabled before Parliament on January 20 for approval. IEBC will have three months, between April 6 and June 6, to hold a referendum.
Kieni MP Kanini Kega, who is the chairman of the budget committee, said they would pass a supplementary package to support the process. “Once we get a request for appropriation of funds for the referendum at the National Assembly, we will do it to ensure the process succeeds. We are ready to approve the funding,” Mr Kega told the Nation.
Senator James Orengo read a joint communique, flanked by President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga. The legislators have been meeting in Naivasha to deliberate on the way forward after the unveiling of the BBI report a week ago in Kisii.
MPs to the Cabinet
Mr Kilonzo said they discussed the drafting a bill, collection of signatures and a referendum question. “We are now set for the BBI process and nothing will stop us.
The document will not be open to any amendments, but we were assured that it will be edited before it becomes a referendum bill,” he said.
The constitutional changes seek to introduce the position of Prime Minister, who will be the leader of government business in Parliament, two deputies and allow appointment of MPs to the Cabinet.
Other proposals include the introduction of 70 MPs to have a 360-member National Assembly and a Senate of 94, with two representatives for each of the 47 counties.
