Referendum To Be Held In March 2021—John Mbadi

    Photo: John Mbadi

Preparation for referendum have already began in ernest with President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga planning to have it by March next year.

According to The Standard, close allies to the president and ODM leader intimated that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report will be out by the end of this month.

Reports indicate that the main political parties that are in support of the report have been tasked with identifying strong county assemblies that will be tasked with the passage of the document which is then supposed to be forwarded to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

During a meeting at COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli's home on Saturday attended by Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Homa Bay Woman Rep Gladys Wanga, Fatuma Gedi (Wajir), Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Naisula Lesuuda (Samburu West), former Nairobi county speaker Beatrice Elachi, and National Gender and Equality Commission chairperson Priscilla Nyokabi, it was resolved that BBI rallies would resume due to the decreasing rates of Covid-19 in the country.

"The Saturday meeting was part of our strategy for BBI. We are prepared to drum up support for BBI and the referendum. We are sure there would be minimal resistance to the document once it is made public by the two principals anytime soon. Anyone opposed to the proposed changes is daydreaming and will be shocked by the outcome." said Atwoli.

This was also confirmed by ODM chairman John Mbadi who confirmed that he had been told by his party leader Raila Odinga that the report will be out soon.

"Raila told us that the report will be out soon. I would not expect it to go beyond this month. Once it is out we will have a public discourse on the proposals. The timelines for the process would be determined by the recommendations of the taskforce. But I can tell you that the referendum would not go beyond March next year," he said.