Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has urged leaders to go slow and reach consensus on the Building Bridges Initiative before going to a referendum.
Malala said on Saturday it was the wrong time for a divisive referendum as the country would be divided as it goes to the polls for the 2022 General Election.
“We need to build consensus so by the time we’re going to the referendum, about 90 per cent will have agreed to the changes. It is important to increase the level of acceptance from the 67 per cent in 2010 to 90 per cent,” he said.
Malala spoke during the burial of former Nairobi county secretary Robert Ayaisi at Shikondi village in Ikolomani in Kakamega.
There is push and pull between politicians over the BBI process. While one faction supports the BBI report in its current form, the other says it’s should be reopened for debate and amended, leading to a non-contested referendum.
More groups are calling for more time to build consensus on the BBI report before putting it to a vote.
On Sunday, Muslim leaders said the BBI report was faulty, did not call for genuine reforms and would create an ‘imperial presidency’ with a president holding too much power.
Clerics said the BBI process should be postponed so the country can focus on fighting Covid-19.
The launch of signature collection for a referendum was postponed indefinitely at the last minute. It was to have begun on Thursday last week.
Malala said that bulldozing the referendum through on a faulty document will divide the country further and defeat the purpose of the BBI, which was to unite Kenyans.
The senator told off nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi who had said a non-contested constitutional referendum has never been held anywhere. He called those comments self-defeatist.
“Kenya can be the first in the world to hold a contention-free plebiscite and demonstrate to the world that we’re mature and we can do what others have not done,” he said.
Osotsi had said on Saturday that those calling for a non-contested referendum were out to derail the constitutional review process. He said they should be frank and oppose the document instead of “hiding under consensus”.
Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati on Saturday said though the document had grey areas, no document can be perfect.