This archive report was first published on 2 January 2020.
On January 2, 2020, Kenya's Senate minority leader James Orengo emphasized the need for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team to finalize bills within six months to ensure a referendum can be held before the election cycle.
Speaking at the Bondo home of Dr. Oburu Odinga, Orengo expressed concerns that any delay beyond October would compromise the referendum process.
"We can't drag this process beyond October because it will be compromised by the election cycle," he said.
Dr. Odinga, who also hosted leaders from the area led by Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga, noted that experts have been tasked with making the BBI report more concrete.
"This is because the report is an expression of ideas which can't be taken as it is to a referendum without being condensed into bills that can be turned into law," he said.
Dr. Odinga observed that the team, whose term was extended by President Uhuru Kenyatta in December, will have to come up with bills that capture the fundamental ideas and suggestions raised by the people during the second round of public participation.
"The issues that require a referendum will be isolated and made into proposals for bills," he added.
Dr. Odinga also denied that the PM post was being created to benefit a specific individual, stating, "You can't say that the PM post is being created for Raila Odinga. Raila can be anything. He has been a PM before and it is not a must that he becomes one again,"
