County assemblies that passed the BBI Bill

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru addressing the media outside the assembly chambers after MCAs passed the BBI bill. [Standard]

28 County Assemblies have so far endorsed the  Constitutional of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

On Tuesday, a majority of the 21 counties set to debate the bill unanimously passed the Bill.

Ward representatives from 16 counties overwhelmingly endorsed the Bill. Among them: Narok, Kakamega, Makueni, Murang’a, Bungoma, Nyeri, Machakos, Nyamira, Nyandarua, Garissa, Kirinyaga, Kitui, Mombasa, Meru, Nakuru and Lamu counties.

How some counties voted:

Nyamira

The assembly unanimously passed the Bill this morning with all the 36 MCAs voting in favour of the document which they praised as historic.

The draft was debated for less than an hour after the Assembly's Legal and Justice Committee  Chairman Abel Mose tabled the report of the public participation exercise that was conducted on Monday.

The MCAs passed the document through a Division Vote where all present were required to stand up to be counted.

Narok Governor Samuel Tunai(center)addressing journalists outside Narok County Assembly chamber moments after the 47 MCAs approved the BBI report.[Robert Kiplagat, Standard]

Narok

The MCAs unanimously approved the BBI in a session that took barely an hour.

Assembly Speaker Nkoidila Lankas presided over the exercise where all the MCAs who rose to speak threw their weight behind the document.

They argued that the Ward Development Fund, County Assembly fund, as well as the increase of allocation to the counties from the current 15 per cent to 35 per cent was a milestone.

Nyandarua

The county unanimously passed the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

In a motion tabled by Justice and Legal Committee Affairs Chairman Ken Mukira, all 37 members present supported the motion.

The debate was chaired by Deputy Speaker Zackary Njeru after the High Court upheld the impeachment of Speaker Ndegwa Wahome, a few minutes before the debate began.

In attendance was Governor Francis Kimemia and Water and Sanitation CS Sicily Kariuki.

So determined were the MCAs that they voted in darkness after lights went off in the chamber.

Kakamega and Bungoma

The county assemblies unanimously passed the Bill in a record 33 and 26 minutes respectively. They joined Busia and Vihiga counties who were the first in the region to pass the Bill.

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, his deputy Prof. Philip Kutima and nominated senator Naomi Shiyonga were present at the Assembly chamber when the MCAs were debating on the bill.

The Assembly’s Legal and Justice Committee chairman Boniface Akosi proposed for the adoption of the bill and was seconded by his Vice Chair Roseline Katibi, a nominated MCA.

Mr. Akosi said that the public had ratified the bill during public participation and therefore they (MCAs) had an obligation to honour the wishes of Kenyans.

In Bungoma, the Bill was tabled by Kamukuywa ward rep and the Assembly’s Legal and Justice Committee chairman Peter Sindani.

“This motion is a choice between Bungoma County joining the rest of the nation in building a robust and united Kenya or maintaining the status quo or cancer that has eaten up this country since Independence,” said Mr Sindani.

The passage of the Bill came just a day after Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula met the ward reps on Monday and prevailed upon them to pass the bill.

[Report by Stanley Ongwae, Robert Kiplagat, James Munyeki, Nathan Ochunge, Benard Lusigi and Micah Sali]