Devolution, agriculture and 2022 succession politics featured heavily in the Meru Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rally yesterday, as leaders insisted that a referendum on certain key issues, was inevitable.<\/p>\n
The highly anticipated meeting saw nearly all speakers push for a new revenue allocation strategy that would see counties adopt a sharing formula based on population.A possible power line-up also emerged, with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga introducing specific leaders, all of whom spoke on importance of the process.<\/p>\n
Baringo Senator Gideon Moi, Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang\u2019ula, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth were all introduced by Raila, contrary to other previous BBI functions that saw the ODM leader invited to speak last.<\/p>\n
From Raila\u2019s closing remarks, it was clear that BBI supporters believe the process will inevitably culminate in a referendum to amend the Constitution.\u201cThe train has left the station,\u201d Raila said, before adding that its next stop will be Nakuru.Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia, also chairman of the Central Kenya Region Economic Bloc, read the region\u2019s resolutions.<\/p>\n
Key in his presentation was consensus that the region supported expansion of the Executive to create the posts of prime minister and two deputies.The region also wants protection of all Kenyans working or living in any part of the country, the creation of a Ward Development Fund and the increase of allocations to the counties from 15 per cent of national revenue to a minimum of 45 per cent.<\/p>\n
The leaders also asked the country to consider a guaranteed minimum return scheme for tea, coffee, rice and dairy sub-sectors and reserving five per cent of all public appointments to persons with disabilities.<\/p>\n
No political vacuum<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mt Kenya leadership resolutions also reaffirmed full support to a peaceful and prosperous nation and declared there was no political vacuum in the area as President Uhuru Kenyatta remained the region\u2019s kingpin.\u201cWe fully agree with the BBI on the political direction that this country should take and are only waiting for the referendum,\u201d said Murang\u2019a Governor Mwangi wa Iria.Tharaka Nithi\u2019s Muthomi Njuki told the meeting that with unity and the right numbers, the region just needed to ensure every eligible voter took part in the plebiscite.<\/p>\n Kiambu Governor James Nyoro said the \u201cone person, one vote, one shilling\u201d call was dear to the region, citing his county as one that had suffered greatly under the current revenue sharing formula in which it got less allocations than several other counties, despite having the second highest population nationally after Nairobi.\u201cA fair distribution of constituencies would give us at least 18 constituencies from our present 12,\u201d said Nyoro.<\/p>\n He was supported by Laikipia\u2019s Ndiritu Muriithi who said under the current set up, the Mt Kenya region was disadvantaged because the parliamentary vote of an MP representing 300,000 voters had the same strength with that of an MP representing only 20,000 voters.<\/p>\n Senator Gideon urged the Mt Kenya leadership to heed the political direction showed by President Kenyatta.\u201cI can tell you for sure that Uhuru\/Raila partnership is a sure bet and that you should listen keenly and follow their prescription,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth, who also got a chance to speak at the tail end courtesy of Raila, told the meeting that with over 30 per cent of the population of the country as confirmed by the census results, Mt Kenya must be on the negotiating table for the future government.There was still room for controversy as Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen told the rally that for BBI to work, all leaders must recognise that Uhuru and Ruto were validly elected into office.<\/p>\n Sneaked in<\/strong><\/p>\n He said the duo was not sneaked in through the backdoor and demanded that politicians demanding respect for the presidency should also respect the deputy president\u2019s office.\u201cIf you demand that people respect the president, let us also recognise that he was elected alongside Ruto and also accord the deputy due respect,\u201d Murkomen said.<\/p>\n He was the only pro-Ruto legislator who spoke at the rally and that came after he stood for more than an hour because he could not find a seat.Also suffering same humiliation was Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria who stood throughout the time he was at the rally and only left after Murkomen spoke. Murkomen said Kenyans have for long been under the hostage of political fraud.In a rebuttal, Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli said BBI supporters did not need anyone to lecture them on what political fraud is.<\/p>\n \u201cKenyans know for sure in which office in the land leadership fraud is being perpetuated from,\u201d Atwoli said.\u00a0He said Kenyans should expect a post-BBI political dispensation that accommodates President Kenyatta in a future government.\u201cNo constitutional provision is likely to prevent him from seeking any other seat when we implement the constitutional reforms recommended by the BBI,\u201d Atwoli said.Former Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe, who was among the few invited by Raila to make remarks, said he wanted to make it clear that Uhuru was not about to leave power to anybody with a tainted past.<\/p>\n Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya urged leaders to stop taking the moral high ground when they were in the middle of scandals that had stalled multi-billion shilling projects and others that prevented Kenyans from benefiting from completed roads.<\/p>\n Mt Kenya governors all of whom attended the meeting sent pointers that the country is headed to a referendum.\u00a0Governors from outside the Mt Kenya region included Council of Governors chairman Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma), Alex Tolgos (Elgeyo Marakwet), Alfred Mutua (Machakos), Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni), Moses Lenokulal (Samburu), Mohamed Kuti (Isiolo), Mohamud Ali (Marsabit), Ali Korane (Garissa) James Ongwae (Kisii), Cyprian Awiti (Homa Bay) and Okoth Obado (Migori).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Devolution, agriculture and 2022 succession politics featured heavily in the Meru Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rally yesterday, as leaders insisted that a referendum on certain key issues, was inevitable. The highly anticipated meeting saw nearly all speakers push for a new revenue allocation strategy that would see counties adopt a sharing formula based on population.A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":3444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,12],"tags":[1866,265,1201,242],"class_list":["post-3443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-policy","tag-2022-succession-politics","tag-building-bridges-initiative","tag-devolution","tag-raila-odinga"],"yoast_head":"\n