Even as the public continues to wait for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) committee to release its final proposals to both President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga, Major (Rtd) John Seii, has come out to disown the rumours doing round in public concerning the details of the BBI report.
In an interview with a local daily publication, Seii, who is a member of the task force disclosed that the team was still drafting its final recommendations as opposed to earlier reports that the proposal was ready.
He revealed that it was going to take another one more week before the report is out.
“Definitely, it is not happening this week but before the end of the month. What I can only say is that the writing of the report is going on smoothly,” stated Seii, who is also the former chairman of Myoot (Kalenjin) Council of Elders.
Seei’s sentiments contradicted the joint secretary, Paul Mwangi’s statement who had disclosed a week ago that the team was through with the report and were only waiting to present it to the President.
“We are ready with the report and the handing over will take place on a day which will be decided by the president’s protocol,” Mwangi was quoted saying on Saturday.
On BBI particulars, the retired Major disowned rumours moving around indicating that the team had recommended for a seven-year, non-renewable term for the president.
He also refuted claims that the team had proposed the reduction of the legislature (MPs) from the current 349 to 180 in number.
Although Seii maintained they are restricted from discussing the matter in public by the oath they took upon taking office last year, he revealed that Kenyans had requested them not to touch their current constituencies or reduce them in any way.
“Some of the things people are discussing in public like increasing revenue allocation to the counties are true while others are not true…Kenyans told us not to touch their constituencies and we respected that,” he communicated saying the report was going to end the five-year circle of electoral violence.
“We only addressed the contentious issues so things like presidential terms didn’t come out but I like the debate that is going on in public because it shows that Kenyans are really interested and eagerly waiting for the report,” he added.
Seii also denied reports that the BBI team had gone for a retreat to fine-tune the report, as he disclosed that he was currently in Eldoret with his family.
The BBI is one of the fruits of the March 2018 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
It was masterminded by the two leaders as one way of ensuring that the electoral related acts of violence experienced in the country after every general election is brought to an end.