DP Ruto wants referendum deffered, calls for further BBI amendments

Deputy President William Ruto  and his allies are seeking to go the consensus way on matters Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.

Speaking from the official DP Karen residence, Garissa Town MP and immediate former majority leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale said the referendum should be held in 2022 alongside the general elections.

“A multiple choice referendum is more appropriate. It is legitimate to question the wisdom of spending 14 billion on referendum a year before an election. We propose to hold a referendum along the general elections in 2022,” Duale said.

Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua on his part said holding the plebiscite in 2022 will save on cost, also noted that it should not be a Yes/No contest but rather one with multiple choices to avoid loss of great ideas.

‘…we care far too much for this country to reduce this matter to a Yes or No contest. We are of the view that the referendum should be held alongside the 2022 General Election,” Gachagua said.

The Deputy President proposed that instead of nominating members of parliament, there should be an additional 70 constituencies. 

 The DP said also his team’s proposal will see a minimum of 60 MP positions slashed, to reduce the number of MPs from 640 as proposed in the BBI report launched last week.