A new poll released on Friday by survey and polling firm Tifa has indicated that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum drive would fail miserably if the vote was held today.
According to the poll, 32 per cent of polled Kenyans would oppose it by voting ‘No”.
Only 29 per cent of Kenyans would support the referendum by casting a ‘YES’ vote should a referendum be held today.
While more than half of Kenyans would take ‘YES’ and ‘NO’ stands, 26 per cent of Kenyans would stay away from referendum voting.
Another 16 per cent is undecided if or not they would participate in the referendum electoral process.
Out of the 29 per cent of Kenyans who would vote ‘YES’ 19 per cent of them said their support is because the BBI is increasing the allocation of funds to the counties.
Another 15 per cent of this group support the referendum so as to expand the excutive and accommodate a Prime Minister and his two deputies.
For the youth agenda in the BBI, 5 per cent of Kenyans would support a referendum. Another 5 per cent would support the same on account of creation of the Official Leader of Opposition for presidential polls loser.
The opposing camp at 32 per cent cited that they would vote “NO” because they have scanty information regarding the BBI.
Another 20 per cent say that BBI is not a priority and for this reason, they would turn it down.
Nine per cent said that it has increased political tension in the country and for this reason, they would vote “NO”.
Six per cent of those polled said that BBI proposals on the Presidency will give him more political power which threatens democracy, therefore, they would vote “NO”.
The Tifa poll had 1,550 respondents with a margin of error of +/- 2 per cent.
The data was collected between December 8-19, 2020.
The polls come a few days after Senate Majority Whip and Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata wrote a letter to President Kenyatta warning that BBI’s reception in Mt Kenya is “cold”.
Kang’ata in a leaked letter to the media told President Uhuru that Mt Kenya voters feel that BBI proposals are being forced on them.
