Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has promised to bring back the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) should the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) form the next government.
Speaking in Yatta, Machakos County during a meeting with Mt Kenya Women leaders on Friday, November 5, the OKA principal said the BBI had good proposals like the one man, one vote, one shilling which could change the lives of Kenyans.
“Within 90 days of OKA forming the government, we will ensure BBI passes. We will give recognition to the principle of one man one vote one shilling,” Musyoka said.
The BBI initiative which had been dubbed reggae, with its supporters adopting Lucky Dube’s song “nobody can stop reggae” as a rallying call was unanimously endorsed by the National Assembly and the Senate before the High Court slammed the brakes on in.
The five High Court judges in Kenya said the government-backed plan to make fundamental changes to the country’s constitution was irregular, illegal, and unconstitutional.
“A popular initiative to amend the constitution can only be started by the people, not by the government,” the judges said.
The constitution amendment Bill had among others proposed the expansion of the executive arm of government to make the country’s politics more inclusive.
The initiative had also proposed the creation of a prime minister post, at least 70 new constituencies, and an affirmative action clause that could create up to 300 new unelected members of parliament.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake counterpart Raila Odinga argued that the proposed constitutional changes will end the winner-take-all structure of Kenyan politics, which is often followed by deadly violence.
In August 2021, President Uhuru who was among the promoters of the bill said the courts denied Kenyans something that would have not only improved their livelihoods but also made the country more cohesive.
“I respect the rule of law, even with BBI judgment, I accept and move on. But I do not agree with it as we have denied Kenyans the resources, equity, funds to go to grassroots, and that is what Kenyans have lost. As Uhuru, I have not lost anything,” he said.
