Orengo wants BBI team to conclude Bills in six months

Senate minority leader James Orengo wants members of the secretariat mandated to fine tune the BBI recommendations to ensure they are ready with Bills that can be passed into law within six months.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Bondo home of Dr Oburu Odinga, Orengo said the process must not be extended since the country expects to have a referendum, thus any delay would likely interfere with the election cycle.

"We can't drag this process beyond October because it will be compromised by the election cycle," he said.

He suggested that the team should come up with an agreeable document within the six-month window which can be translated to law through a popular initiative and not through parliament.

Dr Odinga, who also spoke on the issue when he hosted leaders from the area led by Siaya Governor Cornell Rasanga, said experts have been tasked with making the BBI report more concrete.

"This is because the report is an expression of ideas which can't be taken as it is to a referendum without being condensed into bills that can be turned into law," he said.

Dr Odinga observed that the team whose term was extended by President Uhuru Kenyatta last December will have to come up with bills which must capture the fundamental ideas and suggestions raised by the people during the second round of public participation.

"The issues that require a referendum will be isolated and made into proposals for bills," he added.

"We need to see a united country, put an end to the cycle of violence which is brought about by rigging of elections and push for creation of the position of an executive Prime Minister," Dr Odinga said.

He also denied that the PM post was being created to benefit a specific individual.

"You can't say that the PM post is being created for Raila Odinga. Raila can be anything. He has been a PM before and it is not a must that he becomes one again," he said.