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ANC Party leader Musalia Mudavadi has hailed President Uhuru Kenyatta for the gazetting a steering committee for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
In a statement on Monday, he said, “The new lease of life for this process through appointment of a steering committee is a welcome opportunity for a healthy engagement with ourselves as a people on the matters detailed in the report of last year.”
He said that the steering committee came at a good time because the political environment was beginning to get “unnecessarily charged with hostility about the BBI report and the process”.
Mudavadi added that last week’s meeting in Kisii was positioned as to suggest that the conveners were in an unfriendly dispute against some imaginary enemies, which shouldn’t be the case.
“We have all agreed on the fundamentals of the BBI. Now with the gazette notice out, we have an opportunity to engage in sober dialogue. We at ANC call upon all other stakeholders to give the team the opportunity to prepare timetables, modalities and frameworks for engagement, without us seeming to be hijacking the process to score political goals,” he said.
However, Mudavadi said meetings such as the one conducted last Friday will take value away from the BBI as it is conceived to generate peace, understanding and national cohesion.
“I am disturbed that the trend has so far been one that can only generate fresh enmities where it should be creating understanding. If we are genuine about the underlying principles, then let us place the process into the hands of the committee and allow it to sit in the driver’s seat. Anything outside this is raw and selfish political ambition. It should not be allowed.”
Last week, Mudavadi claimed the Western Kenya meeting scheduled to take place on Saturday in Kakamega to discuss the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report has ill motives.
Mudavadi said the meeting at Bukhungu Stadium has little to do with the BBI report since it is targeted at him as a senior politician from western Kenya.
“Organisers of the so-called seminar to discuss the BBI report are targeting me. They should come straight for me and avoid hiding behind the BBI,” he said.
Mudavadi added that meeting is particularly geared towards isolating him as a leader from the region.
“That so-called drive has got nothing to with unity but it is a cologned ODM party affair. At least Siaya senator James Orengo has the political maturity and courage to admit as much,” he added.
Central Organisation of Trade Unions secretary general Francis Atwoli and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya are organising the meeting.
On Monday, Mudavadi said the steering committee appointed by the president comprises the same persons who were on the BBI task force and hoped that the team will seek freshness of ideas and energy through coopting competent people to bring on board new thoughts.
The government on Monday gazetted a 14-member steering committee which will be tasked to oversee the implementation of the BBI task force report.
The members are Garissa Senator Mohamed Yusuf Haji, Bishop Lawi Imathiu, Maison Leshomo, James Matundura and Rose Moseu.
Others are Agnes Kavindu Muthama, Saeed Mwaguni, Bishop Peter Njenga, Archbishop Emeritus Zaccheaus Okoth, Adams Oloo, Busia Senator Amos Wako, Florence Omose, Morompi ole Ronkei and John Seii.
The joint secretaries are Martin Kimani and Paul Mwangi.
The committee has been directed to submit its comprehensive advice to the government by June 30, 2020.
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