Atwoli Criticizes BBI Report

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General, Francis Atwoli, has faulted the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Report for failing to address the governance question.

The BBI Report, he said, failed to clearly outline the leadership structure and instead still vested all powers in the President which has been the cause of problems in the country.

He was speaking today, during a COTU National Executive Committee meeting held at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu.

                                                   COTU Secretary General, Francis Atwoli

The report, he said ought to have come out strongly on the governance structure with a view of creating positions to make an all-inclusive government.

“We know very well what is ailing this country but we are afraid to face it head-on,” said the COTU boss.

As it is, the BBI report, he said, only suggests the introduction of Prime Minister post to be appointed by the President, who will not be a part of the Executive but rather the head of Parliament.

Atwoli warned that the report if implemented as it is, the country was likely to carry on with the acrimony and hatred witnessed during the electioneering period.

The COTU boss proposed that a technical committee be tasked with the responsibility of digesting the report’s proposals on governance with a view of establishing a Parliamentary System.

The Parliamentary System, he said, was the way to go, with a position of the Executive Prime Minister created to be in charge of government.

He added that the Prime Minister must have two deputies with the President also having two deputies to create an all-inclusive government.

“We must have a situation where the president reaches out to other candidates who lost the election to fill some of these slots,” he said.

The other proposals in the report, he said, must be addressed through full implementation of the Constitution.

“Corruption, for example, is already addressed by the Constitution under chapter six but the leadership has not been able to enforce this,” he observed.

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