Members of Parliament from Pastoralist communities have expressed their dissatisfaction with the recently released Building Bridges Initiative.
Led by their leaders including the former Parliament Majority leader Aden Duale, they issued irreducible minimums to support BBI. “We will be cheating our parties and the country if we say that the pastoralist community is happy with the document.” Said Duale.
They spoke under their Pastoralist Parliamentary Group (PPG) and through Frontier Counties Development Council.
“The BBI report has excluded our detailed presentations to the taskforce and reduced our citizens’ gains on-equity in resource allocation, representation, gender parity, needs of the Persons With Disabilities, and protection of the community land amongst others. We demand our issues form part of the Kenyan conversation and be included in the proposed amendments.” Read the joint statement.
The legislators further proposed that the additional parliamentary seats be distributed equally without disadvantaging other regions. The BBI proposal seeks to increase the number of parliamentary seats to 70 in a bid to increase representation.
READ MORE:
- Moses Kuria Laments That BBI Will Block His Re- Election
- Man Who Stole Rabbits And Goats after Girlfriend “Ate Fare” Released
- Why John Mututho Is In Love With The Kenyan Youths
On the proposal to create a health commission, the leaders rejected it on the basis that it interferes with the gains of devolution. They also wants the Senate to be the Upper house unlike currently when the national Assembly is the upper house.
The legislators also urged the government to establish a Livestock Marketing Authority and make it competitive and attractive to the pastoralists.
