Deputy President William Ruto Reacts After MPs Overwhelmingly Pass BBI Bill

Deputy President William Ruto has reacted after members of the National Assembly passed the Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill 2020, also known as the BBI Bill.

Ruto, who has been a fierce critic of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and the attempt to amend the 2010 Constitution, said he respects the outcome of the vote.

Through his Twitter page on Friday, he also pledged to accept the verdict of the Senate and the people of Kenya when the Bill is ultimately subjected to referendum.

"Being a democracy, the national assembly voted on the Constitution amendment Bill and so will the senate,” he tweeted.

He added:” When the people's turn comes they too will vote and we will march on. We should respect everyone's decision & accept democratic outcomes; all views make us stronger together.”

On Thursday, the National Assembly overwhelmingly passed the Bill with 235 out of the 320 MPs who participated in the voting during the Second Reading supporting it. 83 voted against it while two others abstained.

224 members voted in the support of the Bill, 63 against, while two abstained during voting in the Third Reading, which occurred shortly before midnight.

A majority of MPs who voted to shoot down the Bill are allied to Deputy President William Ruto while those who endorsed are associates of President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

Interestingly, some of the MPs allied to Ruto, including Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati), Feisal Bader (Msambweni), Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga), Charity Kathambi (Njoro), and David Sankok (Nominated), endorsed the Bill.

The Senate is expected to vote on the Bill next week, paving the way for a national referendum later this year.