George Kebaso  @Morarak

Leaders from the pastoralist counties have dismissed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report in its current format, and called for a national consensus on contentious issues.

Eight governors and over 100 MPs representing the region, want an amendment to the report. They   outlined 11 key issues they termed as irreducible minimum.

The BBI report, the leaders said has excluded their presentations to the taskforce.

In a joint statement between the Pastoralist Parliament Group (PPG) and the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC), the leaders claimed the omission of their proposals to the taskforce had reduced the region’s gains.

“We demand that our issues form part of the Kenyan conversation and be included in the proposed amendments,” they said in a statement read by Mandera Governor, Ali Roba, the chairman of the FCDC.

Some of those irreducible minimum the leaders feel were overlooked are representation, gender equity, needs of the Persons with Disabilities and protection of the community land among others.

“No pastoralist issues. No BBI,” they chanted at a hotel in Westlands Nairobi.

Build consensus

The leaders want the Senate to be strengthened with delegation voting mode, made the upper house with veto powers on constitutional appointments and the proposed Judiciary Ombudsman dropped.

They also want the proposed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection criteria for commissioners reviewed, Woman Rep retained at the National Assembly instead of going to the Senate as proposed in the BBI.

“The IEBC should be an independent arbiter, if we must have a transparent electoral system. Let us build consensus and reason together,” Garissa Township MP, Aden Duale said.

In their 11 ‘irreducible minimums’, the leaders called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, to open the window for amendments to the BBI report.