At a press conference in parliament yesterday, party chairman John Mbadi dismissed allegations of divisions within the party over the issue.
“Those who allegedly oppose some of the proposals in the bill do so as individuals or members of a parliamentary committee on justice and the rule of law (JLAC). Now ODM’s position is that all our MPs should pass the BBI Bill tomorrow (today) as it stands, ”he said.
Siaya Senator James Orengo, Nyamira MP Okong’o Omogeni and Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo on Monday said some provisions in the bill violated the constitution.
The three cited a clause dividing the 70 new parliamentary constituencies proposed by the bill, saying it was the job of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) as defined in Article 89 (4) of the current Constitution.
“It is on this basis that I have signed the report of the joint law committee that has identified this and other shortcomings in the bill. Experts drafted the bill, saying it was the work of the IEBC, “said Mr Amollo, who is the deputy chairman of the CIOC. not ODM as a party.
“My position is that of the ODM party and its leader Raila Odinga. Therefore, all our MPs, senators and supporters must follow it, ”stressed the Suba South MP.
Mr Mbadi said although it was true that all ODM demands were not included in the bill, it contained much of what the party proposed when its memorandum was submitted to the BBI panel last year.
“For example, we support the increase in county-level allocations to ward level, the fight against corruption, the equitable distribution of resources, changes in the electoral system among many issues, the existence of gender equality, among others. , ”He explained.
Mr Mbadi added that the ODM supported the BBI bill because it was proposing the creation of more positions in the leadership unit a proposal which he said would end the possibility of violence after every general election.
“ODM supporters are the ones who have been the most affected by the beatings by the police after every general election. Some of them have lost their lives in such violence. We support the BBI bill because we do not want such incidents to happen again in our strongholds, ”he explained.
According to sources, some ODM lawmakers claimed that Mr Odinga was being manipulated in the BBI bill as his Nyanza constituency won only four constituencies out of the 70 proposed constituencies. According to the bill, Kisumu County won two new constituencies, Kisii and Siaya also got one constituency, each.
