Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka

The tabling of a report by a joint House team on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill could be delayed following disagreements amongst members over the proposal to increase the number of constituencies by 70. 

Move comes after it was understood that the joint committee members comprising of senators and National Assembly failed to strike consensus on contentious clauses.

Joint Legal and Affairs committees concluded public participation hearing on the Bill on Thursday last week and had retreated to make their report ahead of its tabling.

“We have not finalised the report. It is unlikely that we will table it on Tuesday, because the research has not been completed,” Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, a member of the committee, told People Daily.

Senator Mutula revealed that joint committee, which had retreated to the coastal town of Mombasa City to write the report returned to Nairobi on Sunday evening without completing the job.

“The electoral agency  has raised pertinent issues that we as a committee must discuss,” he said.

He added: “It is a tough balancing act for us a committee, delineation of the electoral units according to the Constitution is a preserve of the commission.”

The senator submitted that while the polls body has the mandate to delimitate constituency, BBI is a popular initiative. 

“What we should ask ourselves is, BBI is a popular initiative that derives its powers from the people as stipulated in Article 1 of the Constitution. Question is, which one overrides the other?” Mutula said.