BBI Referendum in June is impossible, Duale – KBC

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has said that having a Building Bridges referendum in June as claimed by ODM party leader Raila Odinga is impossible.

Speaking to the press in Garissa town, Duale said that there were procedures to be followed before having a referendum including collecting signatures, drafting of a bill and subjecting the same to 47 counties for approval.

During the roll out of the countrywide Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) meetings in Kisii County on Friday, Raila urged the country to prepare to go to a referendum by June this year.

Raila and Matiang’i led a team governors MP and Senators in declaring that Nyanza was supporting the BBI as a political bloc and told those still doubting the campaign to join it or face political oblivion.

“I want to tell Raila for free that the referendum he is talking about in June is impossible. Don’t cheat yourself. The timeline given for you to collect signatures you need is two to three months. Unless you want to hoodwink us and collect signatures from Huduma Number which we won’t agree,” he said.

He added: “Introducing the bill takes another one month while taking it to IEBC takes another three months and subsequently to the 47 county assemblies in which at least 24 of them must support you will take another three months. Then you must have budgetary provision and bring it to both houses of the National Assembly,” he said.

The Garissa Township MP further scoffed at the Kisii meeting saying that it was a waste of tax payers’ money noting that there was no need for the ongoing political mobilization as no one was opposed to the initiative.

Duale said that every region has interests in the BBI saying that for North-Eastern, the ‘irreducible current issue’ was the controversial census results noting that unless it was resolved through the courts then they will not hear any other story.

Duale joins the DP who on Friday also hit out at the Kisii meeting saying that was no need to use resources on the BBI as the entire country supported it.

Ruto said that there was no one who has a problem with the BBI and argued that the report be implemented and the resources being used channelled to productive activities that would better the lives of Kenyans.