Siaya senator James Orengo has called for mature debate over the Building Bridges Initiative report saying that politicians must not use propaganda to champion their interests.
Speaking at Ahindi garden in Siaya town Saturday , Orengo said politicians opposed to the report must engage with their counterparts who support the document soberly and help the country achieve the goals that president Uhuru Kenyatta and former prime minister, Raila Odinga are pushing for, that of a united nation.
“To those opposed to the BBI, engage us in mature, intellectual and scholarly debate. Do not introduce propaganda and posturing as this will not work well for the quest to have a united nation” said Orengo, the senate minority leader.
He called on Kenyans to read, understand and engage in positive debate over the document, adding that Kenyans must feel free to critic the document.
Orengo said Kenya had another chance of making positive changes to the country’s leadership structure, adding that the chance must not be squandered.
Addressing the occasion, Alego / Usonga Member of Parliament, Samuel Atandi said that though some aspects of the BBI report did not capture the aspirations and expectations of Kenyans, the document will have to be subjected to public referendum to enable the public have their input included.
One such area, said Atandi, was the creation of the office of the Prime Minister with executive powers.
“We must have a prime minister who will not hold office at the whims of the president” said the legislator and called on Kenyans to demand for parliamentary system of governance.
Atandi at the same time urged Kenyans not to allow members of parliament to hijack the BBI process and take it to parliament, saying that his colleagues in the August house could not be trusted to come up with a good document as most have been compromised.
“You have heard of reports that some of my colleagues are normally compromised by as little as Sh5, 000 in the toilets to pass or kill bills in parliament. We cannot trust the house with such a document. It must come to the people direct through referendum” he said.
By Philip Onyango
