Kirinyaga County Assembly denies having passed BBI bill, Speaker says MCAs still on recess

The Kirinyaga County Assembly has denied reports circulating on social media claiming that it has passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2020 popularly known as the BBI.

Kirinyaga County Assembly Speaker  Anthony Waweru, in a statement issued on Wednesday, said the House is currently on recess and will resume plenary sittings on February 8, 2021.

The Speaker confirmed that the County Assembly had received the Bill but was yet to consider it.

“The County Assembly of Kirinyaga has not considered the Constitutional amendment Bill 2020 (BBI),” he said.

The Speaker added: “The County Assembly of Kirinyaga shall in consultation with the people of Kirinyaga and within the confines of the law consider the Constitutional Amendment Bill and submit its decisions to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the National Assembly as guided by section 257(6) of the constitution of Kenya.”

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Monday cleared the way for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill to move to the county assemblies after ascertaining that the process was supported by at least one million registered voters as required by law.

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, in a letter to all 47 county assembly speakers dated January 26, 2021, said the signature verification exercise revealed that the initiative was supported by 1,140,845 registered voters.

This was out of the over 4.4. million signatures that the BBI Secretariat presented to the commission on December 10, 2020.

“The Commission, through interim verification of data captured as of 19th January 2021, has confirmed and is satisfied that the Initiative has been supported by 1,140,845 registered voters.  This is therefore to notify you that the Initiative has met the requisite threshold as provided in Article 257 (4) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010,” read the letter to the 47 speakers.