President Uhuru Kenyatta receives the Building Bridges Initiative report from the initiative's task force Chairman Senator Yusuf Haji at State House, Nairobi. [File, Standard]
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) task force report is currently being translated to various local languages to enable all Kenyans to read the document.
A team of translators is working on the document with copies expected to be released before the end of January.
Earlier this month, Statehouse Spokesperson Kanze Dena had said there were plans to translate the report to Kiswahili but did not disclose when the exercise will commence.
Today, Sauti Mashinani Organization spearheading the exercise said the translation seeks to produce over 10 million copies of the report in local languages including Kiswahili and other dialects to be distributed all over the country.
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After the translation, the civic group will embark on a sensitization campaign where the documents will be distributed to Kenyans at constituency and ward levels during public participation fora.
The group launched civic education manual indicating a plan of intense campaigns in constituencies and wards where the public will discuss the content of the report in local languages.
The copies to be distributed include simplified copies of the report also published in local languages.
“We shall start with civic education fora at counties, specifically constituency and ward levels. We shall not coerce the public into taking sides but rather provide with platform to discuss constitutional amendments they need,” said Ms Cecilia Ndung’u, civic educator accompanied by 22 national steering committee officials of the organisation.
Ndung’u said politicians had hijacked the document and were using it for their own selfish ends noting that the organization was seeking to reclaim the document for ordinary Kenyans.
“The document has received a wide acceptance but the problem is that its publicity is being led by politicians. We are giving Kenyans an opportunity to read and interpret the document on their own,” said Ndung’u.
The move by the civic group comes at the time that political leaders have started taking sides on the report.
On Tuesday, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) abandoned its hard-line stance of demanding a parliamentary system and a Prime Minister position following the party’s Parliamentary Group and the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting chaired by its party leader Raila Odinga.
The party said it had dropped its stance to accommodate the views of other Kenyans.
Jubilee Party factions of Kieleweke and Tanga Tanga which had conflicting opinions also seem to have reached a compromise.
The Deputy President William Ruto-allied faction of Tangatanga which had earlier opposed the report said they were now ready to heed the dictates of Kenyans regarding constitutional amendments.
