Atwoli slams BBI report, says it is a route to anarchy

COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli (in green). [Denish Ochieng/Standard]

Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has faulted the Building Bridges Initiative report, saying the initiative’s task-force drifted away from the purpose for which it was designed.

Mr Atwoli warned that while the main purpose of the initiative formed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga was to unite Kenyans, the BBI report, if implemented in its current form, would throw the country into anarchy.

“The report did not address the issue of exclusivity in governance, which is the main reason why Kenyans fight every electioneering period,” he said.

Addressing the media during a meeting of top Cotu leadership in Kisumu yesterday, the trade unionist insisted the report should be relooked at in order to address the cause of divisions in the country.

Point of concern

He faulted the report for not capturing the position of a powerful prime minister and a parliamentary system of governance, which he said was the only way to achieve inclusion.

He said all presidential candidates should be nominated to Parliament “so that they can have somewhere to hang”.

Atwoli maintained there was nothing new in the BBI report, other than the re-introduction of a weak Prime Minister.

“The issues they have recommended in the report are all in the current constitution. They have only changed the position of the leader of majority to a prime minister,” he said.

New positions

He also took issue with politicians who are against new positions being created in the Constitution over claims it would overburden Kenyans.

“If positions are not shared among different leaders in the country, how will it be felt by ordinary Kenyans?” he posed.