It’s time to vote for our country, our families and our future
Leaders and delegates at KICC Nairobi on November 25, 2020 awaiting the official launch of the BBI signatures collection by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
November 25, 2020 will go down the annals of history as a great day in the growth and development of Kenya. Despite coming in, generally, the worst month of the worst year in living memory for most of us due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, November 25, 2020 will have a positive bearing on how life of the nation turns out.
By launching the official collection of a million signatures to endorse the Building Bridges Initiative to a United Kenya Taskforce Report, the train to a better Kenya left the station on Wednesday afternoon. It has been a long but worthy journey.
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) preliminary report was compiled using information collected in all 47 counties. The BBI seeks to unite our divided country.
This gave way to another round of national dialogue and consultations that gave birth to the current report that was officially launched at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on October 26.
Collection of signatures
Despite the complexity in compiling the report, its findings released and the constitutional requirement of signature collection initiated, the difficult part of the BBI begins with the collection of signatures.
President Kenyatta has always wanted to improve the lives of Kenyans. This is by not an easy task considering the diverse nature of our nation. With a multitude of identities, strong religious, tribal and geographical differences, how does one even begin to attempt to represent the needs of a nation? The BBI was an attempt to unite our country by trying to address the needs of each individual.
President Kenyatta’s handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga was a crucial starting point. The message here was that political differences must be cast aside.
Improving the lives of Kenyans, however, is not a political mater. It is a goal that crosses party lines and must be sought by those who define themselves as true political leaders.
The BBI has attempted to tackle the issues facing citizens. These include things like ensuring terms in office are limited, guaranteeing adequate funding to all counties and battling corruption. The accomplishing of any of these feats independently is a challenge, let alone seeking to tackle all nine! It is time to realise that for the BBI to live up to its full potential, our support is necessary.
There has been vociferous criticism of the BBI. Some have labelled it a political move to strengthen the president’s allies, while others argue that its impact will be to divide the nation. Instead of wasting energy on such scepticism, we should support the report.
Many reports have been written on the causes of division in our country, particularly in the aftermath of the 2007 election and the ensuing violence.
Many attempts have been made to reform the political system, combat corruption and make Kenya a better place. None has had the support that the BBI has, despite criticism from across the political spectrum.
If we waste time criticising the report before we give it a chance, we run the risk of missing a historic opportunity for change. We must ensure the future of our country by giving the BBI a chance to accomplish what it set out to do.
