Uhuru and Raila receive final BBI report

President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Opposition leader Raila Odinga have finally received the final report of the Building Bridges Initiative at Kisii State Lodge.

Conspicuously absent from the function was Deputy President William Ruto who has opposed the initiative arguing that it is obsessed with creating a soft landing for senior politicians.

His Twitter page showed him attending the funeral service of Huruma Ward MCA Peter Kiiru Chomba in Uasin Gishu County who died of the coronavirus. 

When he received the report at the Kisii State Lodge, President Uhuru encouraged Kenyans to read it properly as it concerns their lives and those of their children, adding that it is not a document against any individual or community. 

"We are not looking for the things that we disagree on. We are looking for a consensus," he said.

The president has pleaded with politicians to stop creating divisions but rather show leadership and unite Kenyans.

"How can we as Kenya build a society that is inclusive, equitable, safe for all, creates an opportunity for all?” he posed. 

"If we can deal with that problem, we can deal with the problem of political violence and bloodshed," Uhuru said.

Kenyans will be taken through the report on Monday at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.

"We want Kenyans to absorb it. It must be circulated widely before Monday. We want this to be a national dialogue," he added.

Raila, on the other hand, said the report had faced opposition, yet it highlighted problems ailing the country that the new Constitution had not solved.

“We deliberated with President Uhuru to come here to receive the report, where the reggae started,” he said.

The ODM leader added; “This is the day we have been waiting for. We came up with regional consultations with the first meeting held in Kisii including delegates from former Nyanza province.”

Raila noted that the new team that delivered the report had conducted town hall meetings in various regions and Kenyans had brought forth their various issues. He pointed out, Mt Kenya people claiming they were not being fairly treated and in the Coast region, the issues of land rights emerged.

Through the BBI, Raila said these issues had been highlighted and needed to be addressed to the satisfaction of the common citizen.

Raila used the platform to tare into Deputy President William Ruto’s hustler movement. 

 “Someone will come and say today is when we have discovered Kenya has poor people, we want to have a conversation about poor Kenyans, the common mwananchi… But you have been there all this time, if you are concerned why did you give them a wheelbarrow and not your helicopter,” he said.