Chaos, teargas at Baringo County Assembly as MCAs shoot down BBI Bill

 

There was commotion on Thursday at the Baringo County assembly after assembly shot down the BBI constitutional amendment Bill.

Chaos erupted immediately the counting process was completed, prompting police officers to lob teargas canisters into the assembly.

Members of the assembly and journalists who covering the proceedings were forced to run for their lives in the midst of the commotion.

The scuffle ensued after Mogotio Ward representative, Charles Kosgei, slapped his Kabarnet ward counterpart when he tried to grab the microphone from him.

BBI: Drama as chaos erupts at Baringo County Assembly

The Assembly sergeants at arms, who were overwhelmed as they tried to calm down the irate MCAs, had to seek the help of the police to restore order in the house which was almost turning into a battlefield.

The Jubilee-Kanu rivalry played out during debate of the document, with the ruling party - which has majority members - vowing to shoot it down.

In this file picture members of the public are seen outside the Baringo County Assembly precincts.

Florah Koech | Nation Media Group

The incident comes barely a day after the more than 31 Jubilee-allied MCAs were summoned to party headquarters by secretary General Raphael Tuju.

It is said that Mr Tuju directed the 12 nominated MCAs to support the document or risk losing their jobs.

The assembly majority leader, Lawi Tallam, said the party's secretary general announced that the elected members can choose whether to support it or vote against the Bill.

This has not gone down well with the MCAs who have accused the county's Senator, Gideon Moi, who is also a proponent of the document, of being behind the intimidation push for them to back it.

"We feel that Senator Moi has a hand in this. Baringo is his backyard and he fears being a big loser, knowing that we would unanimously shoot down the document. He has resorted to forcing BBI down our throats by directing all Jubilee nominated members to vote for the document," Mr Tallam told the Nation on phone.

"We want to put it clear to whoever is trying to dictate how we do things in Baringo that this won't work. Whatever the threats, we are going to stop this much hyped reggae. Take our word," he added.

Outspoken Mochongoi MCA, Kipruto Kimosop, claimed that some party officials with vested interests should not dictate what they should do on pertinent matters such as the Constitution.

"We have basically rejected the threats intimidations from Tuju and we can only take instructions from the electorate that voted us in. We have a right to choose what is good for us and Kenyans as well," he said.

Baringo County assembly has 45 MCAs with 32 being from the ruling party. The independence party, Kanu, has 10 members while the three others were elected on Kanu and ODM tickets respectively.

The rivalry between Kanu and Jubilee played out in Baringo County during the launch of the collection of BBI signatures in December last year after political leaders allied to the ruling party boycotted the exercise.