ODM leader Raila Odinga has dismissed claims that he was caught off guard by some changes made to the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
In a statement from his spokesperson Dennis Onyango, Raila said that he was party to the changes made and was in agreement with all the contents of the Bill.
During the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) signature collection drive at KICC, Raila took time to explain that not all views, including those who were calling for a consensus on the final document, can be accomodated in the in the Bill.
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The BBI document had proposed that political parties determine those nominated to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The Bill has, however, dropped this recommendation, with a section of the media claiming that Raila was not informed of this move.
The Bill, which seeks to create 70 new constituencies in 28 counties, has not indicated whether IEBC as currently constituted will be disbanded.
During his speech at KICC, Raila hailed the BBI process for allowing parties to have a say on who is nominated to the electoral agency, leading to media houses interpreting that he was not briefed on this development.