Kenyans in the diaspora have urged their countrymen and women to reject the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum push.
The BBI referendum campaign was kicked off by President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga when they launched the BBI signing early this week.
Now, a lobby for Kenyans in the diaspora -Commonwealth Voter Privileges Right Association (COVPRA) – said that the BBI is being forced on Kenyans by a section of the political elite.
COVPRA according to Daily Nation, said the final report still does not represent the will of all Kenyans and the ripple effect will be dividing them further.
“Kenyans should reject the BBI report. It is a two-man initiative that is being imposed on the people. The clergy have rejected it, several groups have rejected it. It’s not a Wanjiku Initiative. A few people and their surrogates want to change the Constitution for their personal gain,” Mr David Kimengere Waititu, COVPRA’s Organising secretary told the Nation.
Before the report was officially handed over, COVPRA has written to Senator Yusuf Haji who chaired the BBI task force seeking to have dissenting voices heard in the report too.
However, the association says that this was ignored and a contested referendum is likely to divide Kenyans even more.
“We do not want a process that would leave Kenyans more divided. Let all Kenyans reject this report in a referendum to save their country from a few people who think they own Kenya. We in Covpra, have our motherland at heart,” he said.
Now, the association has asked Kenyans not to be part of a political process by “dynansties” that could divide the country even more
“At the end, this might result to a badly contested referendum and create a poisoned society ahead of the 2022 general elections. Let’s refuse any incitement to violence and stand up against the dynasties to shape the future of Kenya,” Mr Kimengere pleaded.
