A section of leaders from Mt Kenya region have continued to express their stand over the content of the long-awaited Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report saying they would not support the document if it will not have addressed critical issues of representation and equal distribution of resources.
The leaders have said that the report must meet the irreducible minimums if they have to support it and that they would not blindly go for constitutional reviews which will further disadvantage the region.
The leaders among them Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri, Laikipia Senator John Kinyua and MPs Patrick Mariru (Laikipia West) and Kwenya Thuku (Kinangop), said that the BBI report must address key issues which includes inequality of the vote that they claim has seen some regions under-represented as compared to others despite disparities in population and that as a result, the affected areas gets low allocation of resources under the devolved governance.
They observed that unless such issues are put into consideration, they were ready to ensure the reports does not go through.
They said that residents from the region should keenly read the document before taking a vote.
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“We are not saying that we are opposing the document since it has not yet been brought to us. But as leaders from the region, we have to give our people directions. Our issues have to be addressed and taken into considerations in the document,” said Kiunjuri.
He said that among them were equal representation, diversity and equitable distribution of resources.
Senator John Kinyua regretted that the region had for a long time been neglected and it was now time that the document addressed them.
“We have suffered for a long time and if the document does not address them, we will definitely reject it. This should however be noted that it is a threat,” he noted.
Laikipia west Mp Patrick Mariru said that the parliamentary system was one of the issue that they were opposed to.
“We want one man, one vote system for us to be represented equally in the government. That is why we are opposing this system,” he said.
The leaders spoke when they accompanied the CS who was delivering Macadamia seedlings to farmers from Githiga and Gatero areas in Laikipia West Constituency.
Kiunjuri challenged the residents to ensure they take good care of the crop which he said would be of great benefit to them once they mature and reach fruition.
He noted that macadamia had huge markets both locally and internationally and they encourage farmers to go for such crops which would withstand harsh weather once they mature.
