Let us heed Uhuru's directive on BBI report by reading it

During the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report, President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga rallied Kenyans to read and understand the contents of the report. 

The President announced that a national convention would be held in January to address emerging contentious issues.

Since 1992 when Section 2A of the Constitution was repealed to usher in multiparty democracy, we have been witnessing a recurrence of post-election violence.

Apart from many innocent people losing their lives, property worth billions of shillings is destroyed. A time has come for us to ask ourselves where the problem lies? What can we do to fix it once and for all?

This explains why the issues of national ethos and ethnic antagonism and competition were factored in the nine-point agreement of shared objectives that birthed the handshake between the two leaders.

After the convention, a committee of legal experts would be constituted to prepare the final draft Bill.

At Bomas, Uhuru and Raila also extended an olive branch to Deputy President William Ruto allies, who had sustained spirited campaigns against the handshake and one of its key pillars, the BBI process.

"We want all Kenyans to be on board because our aim is to heal the wounds of hatred and ethnicity, fight corruption and other evils," Uhuru reiterated.

Besides the deputy president, Majority Leader in National Assembly Aden Duale and his counterpart in the Senate Kipchumba Murkomen addressed the plenary.

A day before the launch, Murkomen had been quoted in a section of media denouncing the forum, saying he did not think it would add any value to Kenyans.

This explains why he was booed and heckled when he alleged that the organisers had only invited delegates who supported the handshake. Soon after the launch, Ruto and his allies stated that they had read and understood the report. But how fast?

It should be noted that the same group was opposed to major constitutional amendments changes that would have seen the elective seats reduced and some scrapped, the position of executive prime minister created, Judiciary re-organised and the number of constitutional commissions slashed.

Therefore, it is hypocritical of the Ruto allies to say they cared for Wanjiku.

Speaking while commissioning a new Catholic hospital in Gatundu, the President hit out at Ruto's allies for shifting goal posts and politicising the BBI process. Kenyans are not fools.

Kenyans will heed Uhuru’s call. The BBI secretariat should print and distribute enough copies of the report. 

Joseph Ndonga is a political analyst and blogger