- Kenyans will miss the point by thinking that BBI will solve a whole range of problems facing them.
- BBI task force should come out and tell Kenyans what was left out of its initial report.
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ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi has urged Kenya's leaders to fix the ailing economy and shelve its obsession with the Building Bridges Initiative.
“At this point in time, let us get our leaders to correct the economy. We could be taken in circles if everybody thinks BBI is the silver bullet,” the former Prime Minister said.
The economy is the issue here. No one should think that the BBI is the silver bullet that will solve all our problems as a country.ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi
He said the country’s biggest challenge at the moment is a badly performing economy and not implementing the BBI report.
Speaking on Citizen Television’s Monday Report, Mudavadi said Kenyans will miss the point if they think BBI will solve a whole range of problems facing them.
“The economy is the issue here. No one should think that the BBI is the silver bullet that will solve all our problems as a country,” he reiterated.
Before releasing its report, the BBI taskforce visited all the 47 counties to collect opinions on the main problems facing the country, among them electoral violence.
After the launch of the BBI report on November 27, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that a national convention would be held in January to address emerging contentious issues.
Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga extended the BBI taskforce term on December 12.
The task force's fresh mandate, State House announced, would involve guiding public participation and structuring recommendations by Kenyans into implementable action plans.
During the interview, Mudavadi said the current problems in Kenya would be solved by a great economy for all and not just a few individuals.
“In my view, the authors should come clean and tell Kenyans what it is that they did not like in the initial report that is now taking us to Phase TwoANC leader Musalia Mudavadi
The ANC leader regretted that leaders have politicised implementation of the report, making it about individuals.
Mudavadi further said the BBI task force should come out and tell Kenyans what was left out in its initial report.
Initial reports indicated BBI was recommending a powerful executive prime minister, but the final report called for a weak PM chosen and or fired by the President and Parliament.
“In my view, the authors should come clean and tell Kenyans what it is that they did not like in the initial report that is now taking us to Phase Two,” he explained.
The Building Bridges Initiative task force is yet to commence the second phase of its work as it awaits a Gazette notice from Uhuru stating its terms of reference.
It’s also through the Gazette that Uhuru will officially extend the term of the team led by Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji-led team
The BBI was born out of a truce between Uhuru and Raila following a hotly contested election in 2017. It has been touted as the solution that Kenya needs for among other things, settling leadership wrangles, especially after presidential polls.
During the unveiling of the BBI report, Mudavadi asked the President to fix the economy arguing that was the surest way Kenya would progress as a nation.
He attributed the current economic woes to the government’s appetite for loans.
(Edited by V. Graham)