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Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) might not sail through due to obvious reasons. The much hyped document which has been edited several times to please the ‘big boys’, was initially a good document before it was hijacked by the political cartels. The document seeks to establish a bloated executive and reintroduce the office of the opposition leader. The expanded executive will add an extra-burden to the taxpayer. According to statistics based on social media posts, most Kenyans are against the expanded executive. Kenyans have also expressed their dissatisfaction of the timing of the referendum debate. Kenya is still not out of the woods of a global pandemic, and the BBI debate in the midst of a health crisis is ill-timed and a misplaced priority. President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga launched BBI signature collection on November 25th, an occasion that was graced by leaders across the political divide with the exception of deputy president William Ruto. Political pundits a...

US President-Elect Joe Biden has unveiled his cabinet ahead of his swearing in on January 20th as the president of the United States of America (USA). Biden announced significant picks for his foreign policy on Monday. Biden managed to defeat Donald Trump in a hotly contested and divisive election. However, Trump refused to accept defeat citing massive irregularities which are still unproved. In a statement dispatched to the press by the Biden-Harris team, Anthony Blinken has been appointed as the Secretary of State, Alejandro Mayorkas (Secretary of Homeland Security), Avril Haines (Director of National Intelligence). Other nominees include: Linda Thomas (US ambassador to the United Nations), Jake Sullivan who was an aide to Hillary Clinton has been appointed as National Security Advisor and John Kerry (Special Presidential Envoy for Climate). Biden has promised to restore the respected USA leadership at home and across borders. Mayorkas becomes the first Latino and immigrant to be nam...

Allies of Deputy President William Ruto have expressed their criticism over the resurrection of post-election violence (PEV) cases by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot led a section of Ruto’s supporters in castigating the move taken by DCI boss George Kinoti. The firebrand Kericho legislator called upon the government of Kenya to reactivate the KNHRC report to prove their genuineness.  Cheruiyot tweeted: “Very shameful of DCI Kenya Kinoti to weave his unending political tales using victims of 2007 PEV. He cannot claim to have the capacity to do a better job than KNHRC and Waki. GOK should activate those reports if they are genuine. Otherwise this is the usual kieleweke desperation.” His sentiments were echoed by Kandara MP Alice Wahome and his Kikuyu counterpart Kimani Ichungwa. Hon Wahome stated that: “For 12 years there were no complaints, no complainants and statements and no action from the DCI. Suddenly over 70 people today recor...

There is a looming teachers strike in Kenya, as teachers union threatens the government to honor its deal on collective bargaining agreement (CBA). According to Kenya National Union Of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Wilson Sossion, teachers will not resume on duty come January next year over the failure of Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to honor their demands as dictated by the CBA agreement. Sossion was quoted by Citizen TV as saying that: “TSC has brought the war to our doorsteps and we are ready.” The SG has accused TSC for abandoning their CBA agreement. Schools are scheduled to reopen on January 4th 2021 after a long sojourn since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Grade 4, Class 8 and Form 4 school going children resumed learning on October and will close on December for Christmas vacation. The government halted the reopening of other classes after the case load of Covid-19 patients surged, thus raising alarm on the safety of the school going children. The government had ch...

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (SUPKEM) has threatened to reject the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report. The Council has termed the process as insignificant during the Covid-19 pandemic. The leadership of the Muslim religion urged President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday to stop any further step on BBI. The Council stated that BBI is a major setback to the gains made in 2010 when the current constitution was proclaimed. SUPKEM further urged Uhuru to divert the energy geared to succeed BBI process towards combating Covid-19. President Uhuru Kenyatta and deputy President William Ruto met a day before the expected date of signature launch.  The assertion of the Council comes a day after the country recorded another high number of Covid-19 infections. According to the Health Ministry, 1211 people tested positive for Covid-19 out of a sample size of 9,304. On Saturday, the death toll had risen to 1,366 after 17 more people succumbed to the dreaded virus.

The launch of BBI signature collection was postponed indefinitely at the eleventh hour, thus creating unnecessary tension on the part of its propagators. The process was postponed after it emerged that it would polarize the country. To avert unnecessary tension, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s advisers took the bold decision to advise him to incorporate deputy president William Ruto so as to come up with a non-contested referendum. The idea that led to the push for consensus was arrived at after it emerged that Kenyans might reject the much hyped document. Raila Odinga and allies have the gigantic task of going back to the drawing board and devise a mechanism that will avert much chagrin. He has to marshal his troops in toeing to the line that will enable the former premier win the trust of Kenyans. Otherwise as things stand, Raila might find himself in the historical dustbin should he continue advocating for the much divisive report.