Uasin Gishu county assembly will seek the views of the county residents before making a decision on whether to approve or disapprove the building bridges initiative (BBI) draft bill.
The county assembly speaker David Kiplagat said once they receive the draft bill from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), will conduct sensitization meetings across the county to ensure the voters understand the documents before giving their verdict.
“We have to consult our voters before making any decision on the BBI draft bill,” said the Speaker adding, “I hope the BBI proponents will take us through the pros and cons, the benefits and disadvantages of BBI before we start discussing it at the county assembly.”
He however said as Uasin Gishu, their core problem was not with BBI: “Our concern at the moment is with the flailing health sector and the poor state of the country’s economy made worse by the effect of CoronaVirus,”
“The government should be focusing on how Kenyans can get a vaccine for Corona and how the economy can be revived to enable Kenyans earn a decent living,” said Kiplagat while speaking at the county assembly on Thursday.
He added that as a county they were not putting a lot of emphasis on the BBI, but focusing on how they can support the residents overcome the challenges of Covid 19.
“We can talk about BBI later after ensuring Kenyans are protected from Covid and reviving the economy,” he stressed.
IEBC has already cleared the BBI draft bill following successful verification of signatures and has in writing submitted a copy of the bill to all 47 County Assemblies, for debate.
by Kiptanui Cherono