The Independence Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has distanced itself from the contradictory reports that it submitted two BBI versions to the county assemblies for debate.
The commission in a statement sent to newsrooms on Thursday, April 22, said it received 6 printed copies of the draft and verified the document in accordance with the constitution.
“The Commission would like to state that on December 10, 2020, it received from the BBI promoters six (6) printed copies of the draft Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2020 and supporter’s details,’’ the statement said.
According to IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati, the commission in compliance with Article 257(4) of the Constitution of Kenya, undertook verification exercise and ascertained that the one million supporter’s threshold had been met.
“On January 26, 2021, the commission requested the BBI promoters for additional printed copies of the Bill for onward transmission to the County Assemblies. On the same date, the BBI promoters delivered to the commission 57 printed copies of the Bill, out of which the commission submitted 47 copies to the County Assemblies,” Chebukati said.
Chebukati was responding to prior reports by the Joint Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that only 13 county assemblies out of the 43 that voted for the document received and debated on the correct version.
A section of the BBI promoters led by lawyer Paul Mwangi has made suggestions that the document could have been tampered with in the hands of IEBC.
Mandera, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kiambu, Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet, Laikipia, Nakuru and Siaya were some of the county assemblies that were reported to have received and debated on the correct document.
The committee further claimed that the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2020 draft at the National Assembly was at variance with one at the Senate.
For instance, the second schedule in the national assembly’s document speaks article 89(7) but that of the senate is making reference to article 87(7). This notwithstanding that the correct reference here was article 89(7).
The BBI Secretariat co-chair David Waweru supported the commission terming the allegations as propaganda spread by those opposing the constitutional amendments.
