Battle lines drawn over BBI

Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny, former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto and Elgeyo-Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos during a past press briefing. They are among the leaders expected to root for the BBI in the region. 

What you need to know:

  • Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat, a critic of the DP, alleged that there is a scheme by Dr Ruto’s camp to frustrate the report by pushing for new ideas to be contained in the document.
  • Governor Kinyanjui yesterday told the Nation he is ready to drum up support for the document.

The stage is set for a political showdown in Deputy President William Ruto’s Rift Valley home turf after some of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) proponents in the region accused his troops of trying to hijack the document.

Some leaders allied to President Uhuru Kenyatta and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi have taken issue with the DP and his lieutenants over their ‘irreducible demands’ to achieve consensus before the country holds a referendum in June next year.

Dr Ruto and his troops want fresh talks on the involvement of political parties in the nomination of electoral commissioners, the independence of police and the judiciary as well as making the Senate the Upper House, arguing that it will help in strengthening devolution.

However, those allied to President Kenyatta and his Handshake partner, ODM leader Raila Odinga, have rejected the idea, saying there is no window to open the report for further discussions.

Elgeyo-Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos, who was leading the BBI drive in Rift Valley, yesterday said leaders who are asking to be given time to read the BBI are not sincere and want to disrupt the process.

He said all leaders were given time to present their views to the Senator Yusuf Haji-led task force.

“There are leaders who clearly said in media interviews that they will never support the document. It is the same leaders who are now demanding for more time to go through the document and are proposing changes. This amounts to doublespeak. They should just state their position and stop confusing the masses,” he said.

Frustrate BBI report

Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat, a critic of the DP, alleged that there is a scheme by Dr Ruto’s camp to frustrate the report by pushing for new ideas to be contained in the document.

“As champions of this report, we have to be very cautious to avert any possibility of the process being hijacked by individuals who had opposed the report from the onset,” said Mr Salat.

The Nation has established that the President and Mr Odinga are planning to isolate the DP and his brigade from the BBI campaigns in the Rift Valley.

The two principals are banking on Senator Moi, Chama Cha Mashinani leader Isaac Ruto and governors Tolgos and Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) to lead the campaigns.

Others are senators Samuel Poghisio (West Pokot) and Prof Margaret Kamar (Uasin Gishu) and MPs Joshua Kutuny (Cherang'any), Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), Vincent Tuwei (Mosop), William Kamket (Tiaty) and Swarup Mishra (Kesses) .

Governor Kinyanjui yesterday told the Nation he is ready to drum up support for the document.

"It is all systems go and we are ready," he said.

Bomet Senator Dr Christopher Lang’at, an ally of the DP, said with the sidelining of the Tangatanga wing, it is evident that the BBI was never about inclusivity.

He said even though they are yet to make a final decision on the document, they are ready to ‘preach the truth’.

“You cannot give counties 35 percent when you are weakening the Senate. If we cannot disburse the current 15 per cent promptly, how sure are we that things would change with a weakened Senate?

“This means it will not enhance or strengthen devolution,” Dr Lang’at said.

“These are some of the things we want included before a referendum is conducted. Failure to that, we are ready to start preaching the gospel of truth for it to be defeated at the referendum,” he added.

The senator said the pro-BBI team has always been looking for an opportunity to push the Deputy President’s camp to the ‘No’ side, with the aim of scuttling Dr Ruto’s State House ambitions.

Dialogue

While speaking at Kiplombe in Eldoret yesterday, Jubilee Deputy Secretary-General Caleb Kositany — the de-facto Ruto camp political spokesman — wondered why BBI proponents are finding it hard to embrace dialogue with the dissenters.

“This BBI process was shrouded in secrecy from the onset and we witnessed how some leaders were sidelined. Anyway, that is not a big deal…the document is here with us. It is unfair to say that the report cannot be changed to include the views of everyone.

“We can have dialogue until we reach a consensus even within a day…they are pushing us to a competition of ‘us’ versus ‘them’, which is not necessary,” said the Soy MP.