• The handshake was born in March 2018 after a long political standoff arising from the opposition led by Raila under the Nasa refusing to recognise Uhuru's government.
• The tension among supporters of Deputy President William Ruto was evident from day one after the country's second in command was not included in the BBI talks.
Image: FILE
Since the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga to end their political enmity, more confusion and division has spread across the political divide.
After the handshake, the duo that has polarised the country over the past decade said the main purpose of the pact was to create an inclusive government and to unite all Kenyans.
The handshake was born in March 2018 after a long political standoff arising from the opposition led by Raila under the Nasa refusing to recognise Uhuru as having won the first round in the August 2017 general elections.
Nasa was formed in January 2017 as a coalition party to beat Uhuru's Jubilee during that year's election.
Nasa was made up of four affiliate parties including; ODM led by Raila, Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka, Ford Kenya's Moses Wetangula and ANC's Musalia Mudavadi.
Image: JACK OWUOR
Raila's decision to meet Uhuru after a disputed poll left Kalonzo, Mudavadi, and Wetangula in disarray after they were caught unawares.
This was the beginning of the end for Nasa as the cracks in the coalition further deepened after the March 9, 2018 handshake.
Already there had been bad blood between the Nasa principals after the other three failed to show up during the January self-swearing of Raila as the People's President.
After the handshake, Nasa has largely been inactive with each party leader drumming up support for his party rather than the coalition.
Last year, Wetangula was stripped of his Senate Minority Leadership and replaced by Siaya Senator James Orengo.
Wetang'ula was ousted despite a letter that was signed by NASA CEO Norman Magaya, and sent to Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka.
Magaya said the four Nasa principals had approved Wetangula’s retention of the position.
The recent November 7 Kibra by-election was a litmus test for the coalition where ODM, ANC and Ford Kenya apart from Wiper fronted their candidates.
All the Nasa-affiliated parties with the exception of Wiper fielded their own candidates. Wiper supported the Ford Kenya candidate in the poll.
In the hotly contested poll, ODM fronted Imran Okoth while ANC picked Raila's former aide Eliud Owalo.
Ford Kenya picked Khamisi Butichi as their flag bearer.
Image: VICTOR IMBOTO
In the end, ODM's Okoth won comfortably with the Jubilee candidate McDonald Mariga coming in second.
Imran garnered 24 636 votes while Mariga came in second with 11, 230 votes.
Owalo came in third with 5,275 votes with Butichi coming in a distant fourth with 260 votes.
ODM accused its Nasa partners of 'betrayal' following their decision to front candidates in Kibra.
During the campaigns, ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna said that the fate of Nasa would be determined after the Kibra polls.
“For those who have decided to use Kibra mini-poll to divorce ODM party should know that it will be the straw that will break the camel's back. They’re stabbing us in the back,” he said.
He said ODM party was ready to divorce NASA affiliated parties should they fail to tore the line noting that they are being dishonest. “If you asked for divorce then we will give you,” Sifuna added.
Across the divide, the Jubilee party was left equally shaken by the handshake.
The tension among supporters of Deputy President William Ruto was evident from day one after the country's second in command was not included in the BBI talks.
For the past year, Jubilee has been split into two antagonising camps; the TangaTanga team which has been perceived to be against the Handshake and the Kieleweke group, which is pro-handshake.
The TangaTanga team associated with Ruto has been opposing the BBI, setting stringent conditions for them to support the initiative.
Image: COURTESY
Ruto, however, has played it safe over the divisive matter saying the BBI fate lies with Kenyans and warned those yearning for bigger positions to be created for them from the BBI to be ready for a surprise.
"As a democratic society, the proposals by BBI will be subjected to an open national conversation where every voice - the weak, strong, the small, big - will be heard. Those working hard to create new fault lines, an us verses them 'clash' will fail so miserably they will be shocked" Ruto has been quoted as saying.
Some of the politicians have alluded that Uhuru will vie for Prime Minister position under BBI, claims which had been rubbished by the President, "Mimi sitaki kazi mimi nimechoka. BBI ni kuhakikisha ya kuwa hakuna mkenya atamwaga damu katika nchi yetu”.
This translates to: "I don't want any work, I am tired. BBI will ensure that Kenyans do not spill blood," the President said.
The Handshake has also sharply divided women politicians in the country, as they also regrouped into two factions - those for the BBI and those against it.
One one side is the 'Team Embrace' made up of the elected and nominated women legislators from both the Jubilee party and opposition parties.
The team has in the past year crisscrossed the country preaching unity and drumming up support for the BBI report.
On the other side is the 'Inua Mama' group, made up of women parliamentarians who are 'cagey' on the Handshake and are made up of pro-Ruto female politicians.
Image: COURTESY
The Council of Governors has not been left behind and came up with their Ugatuzi Initiative, advocating for more resources to the counties and seeking to strengthen counties.
The governors' Ugatuzi Initiative proposes an expanded Executive with the President as the Head of State under the BBI.
They have proposed an Executive comprising of a Deputy President, a Prime Minister and two deputy Prime Ministers.
The BBI report unveiling comes shortly after the failure of the Punguza Mizigo Initiative led by the Thirdway Alliance party and its leader Ekuru Aukot.
The Initiative failed to gain support from at least 24 county assemblies in order to sail through to the next level.
It was supported by only two counties out of the 47. The two were Turkana and Uasin Gishu counties.
The BBI taskforce completed filing its report in October and will hand it over to Uhuru at State House Nairobi today.
The report will then be made open officially to the public on Wednesday at the Bomas of Kenya.