President Uhuru Kenyatta (Centre), his deputy William Ruto (left) and Raila Odinga during the launch of Building Bridges Initiative report at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on November 27, 2019. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
The Building Bridges Initiative was the result of a handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
President Kenyatta has lauded BBI as a solution to address governance challenges facing the country.
These include advancing inclusion, uplifting the economy, countering corruption and strengthening institutions.
The BBI will also be used to counter political extremism. However, since the inception of the BBI there have been different reactions, especially from the political class.
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Most people have supported the BBI while others have rejected it. Leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto have been claiming that the BBI has hidden intentions apart from uniting Kenyans.
They have also claimed that they were not involved in drafting the unity agreement.
BBI outlines many issues leaders are supposed to solve. For instance, it lays out how to deal with the issue of inclusivity.
Our diversity has been used to divide citizens instead of uniting them. Kenyans are divided in terms of geographical location, language and religion, among others. Inclusion is mainly in leadership positions at the national and county levels.
BBI is also tasked with dealing with divisive elections that have a tendency to be accompanied with violence.
Apart from threatening human life, the violence also has a negative impact on investment and other economic activities.
BBI also proposes how to deal with corruption, which is a menace that has shattered the hopes of many people who would like to lead honest lives.
This vice has undermined public and private institutions, and it must be curtailed to restore hope among Kenyans.
