• Some say Ruto Tantatanga people should be allowed to attend — but not to speak: a formula for trouble. Joho had said all were welcome.
•Governor Joho dismissed claims some Coast governors opposed to report after two conspicuously missed meeting with Raila.
Image: FILE
Coast leaders will meet Friday to strategise how best to approach Saturday’s BBI meeting at Tononoka grounds.
Deputy President William Ruto's allies will be present for the first time at a BBI rally, which they previously scoffed at. One issue appears to be whether they will be welcome and allowed to speak.
The Friday meeting at Wild Waters Complex will include all the six Coast governors, senators, woman representatives, MPs, MCAs, opinion leaders, civil society groups and grassroots leaders.
The governors are Mombasa's Hassan Joho, Amason Kingi (Kilifi), Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta) and Dhadho Godhana (Tana River).
On Thursday they insisted ‘no one else’ should be allowed to speak — a recipe for trouble..
This is in complete contrast to Wednesday's statement by Joho that everyone is welcome, including Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen's brigade from Ruto's Tangatanga faction.
“This is a golden opportunity for Coast people to have their problems addressed. Others should wait for their chance in their regions," Kingi said.
This was seen as a thinly veiled warning to Ruto's allies who said they will be attending the rally, that they are not welcome. Murkomen on Tuesday said they will attend all BBI rallies and where necessary take charge of them.
"You can't come to one's house and go to the kitchen to serve yourself food," Samboja said.
The Taita Taveta governor said being welcomed to a meeting does not mean you will be allowed to speak.
Godhana said Coast residents want their issues captured in the BBI report without any interference from outsiders. "Let no one come to disrupt our meeting." Fifteen people from each ward at the Coast will be present.
The governors said all six of them, including Lamu's Fahim Twaha and Kwale's Salim Mvurya, support BBI despite speculation some of the Coast governors oppose it.
Twaha and Mvuryere were conspicuous by their absence from a meeting with ODM leader Raila Odinga on Monday at his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi.
Raila is spearheading the BBI forums. Mombasa’s forum on Saturday will be the third Kisii and Kakamega rallies.
Joho said the meeting will critically analyse issues that Coast people want to be addressed, which will be presented to the BBI team. The resolutions of the meeting will be announced on Saturday.
"We will discuss our natural resources, land, youth empowerment, education system, drug abuse including muguka and many critical issues. We want to discuss how can we use BBI equation to keep our young people from these vices," the Mombasa boss said.
Residents already have a list of demands they want the Saturday rally to take up.
First is inclusivity.
“The common mwananchi must be given the chance to air their views. I expect as many people as pssible from every constituency to be represented and their views taken into account,” former nominated Senator Emma Mbura said.
She said the BBI needs repackaging.
Mashinani Watch Organization chairman Moffat Mutero said unlike the Kisii and the Kakamega forums, the Mombasa meeting should be about people
“It should not be like a political rally where leaders attack each other. Let them speak on the content of the BBI. It should not be a contest for 2022. We want to know the content and have our views as the small people in this country heard and taken into account,” Mutero said.
The group said the BBI should address taxation that is 'killing' Kenyans. Mutero said Kenya's taxation is way above other countries.
Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo said without addressing historical injustices — land and resource sharing between the national and county governments at the Coast — the BBI will be unpopular in the region.
“If the document does not tackle historical injustices and how we can benefit from our resources like the ocean, they can forget my support,” the MP said.
He said Turkana gets a significant chunk from the oil while Narok receives a piece of the Maasai Mara cake.
“In Mombasa, Lamu and Kwale, we do not get a share of the port resources we have."
University and college students want BBI to address internship for students and graduates.
“We are yet to see where the place of the student and the youth is in the document. Does it deal with how students can get an internship, especially in government workplaces?” Coast University and College Students Association chair Edwine Shamir asked.
Shamir said the BBI campaigns are wasteful."They should just collect views in a more cost-effective way and implement them."
Muslims for Human Rights, however, says it BBI is unconstitutional and a tool to benefit individuals.
Muhuri chair Khelef Khalifa said since the BBI is a government project, it ought to have been initiated at Parliament.
Joho, however, said on Wednesday that BBI is not about politics or creating positions.
"When the BBI conversation began, it had a purpose, unity of the country," he said. That is why, he said, there are no preconditions to attend the Mombasa rally.
The Kenya Muslim National Advisory Council said BBI should put a stop to politicians using the holy books, including the Bible and the Koran, for the oath of office.
Kemnac chair Sheikh Juma Ngao said the books do not allow certain things that the Constitution allows "and swearing to protect and defend the Constitution using the holy books means going against God’s demands".
Kemnac also wants the BBI report to recognise two more Muslim public holidays.
Currently, the Constitution recognises Idd-ul-Fitr, a day to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadhan.
Muslims have been pushing to have Idd-ul-Adha, to mark the end of the Hajj pilgrimage recognised.
Kemnac wants Maulid and the Islamic New Year recognised as public holidays.
Edited by R.Wamochie