This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
Published on December 3, 2019
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has maintained that the implementation of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report should be a people-driven process. He emphasized that the report cannot be brought to Parliament in its current form and can only be brought to the House through a Bill or a policy for adoption.
Mr. Muturi expressed concerns that if the document is taken to Parliament in its current form, it will be 'mutilated' by politicians. He noted that since 2013, no constitutional amendment has been successfully prosecuted in the House, and politicians often pick what is in their interest and run away with it.
“Since 2013 there is no constitutional amendment that has been successful in Parliament. Politicians have a way of picking what is in their interest and running away with it. Parliament can only receive the document in form of a policy or a Bill,” said Muturi.
Mr. Muturi also dared politicians who have threatened to impeach him over his stand to go ahead and do so. Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has said he will initiate impeachment proceedings against the speaker.
“Draft a motion and bring it here and I will approve it. You don’t impeach a speaker through social media or in funerals,” Muturi dared Mr. Kuria.
He further stated that Parliament will be usurping the powers of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who formed the BBI task force, if it decides to take the document in its current form. The speaker also voiced his concern that there are some aspects of the BBI report that do not require a referendum but only an amendment to the existing laws.
