President Kenyatta Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto will on Saturday attend the installation of the new Catholic Bishop for Eldoret Dominic Kimengich.
The elaborate ceremony will take place at the St Peter’s Seminary in Eldoret where all other key political leaders from the Rift Valley region will also be present.
The event would be the latest major public function to be attended by both the President and his deputy in Ruto's backyard after a long period of hostilities sparked by the BBI debate.
Ruto's key allies who have emerged as the fiercest critics of the president including Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi are among those also invited.
Messages of peace and unity will likely dominate speeches at the event but it will provide an opportunity for the political leaders to talk about the BBI initiative that has triggered sharp divisions among politicians.
According to the programme for the installation event, leaders will be given an opportunity to give speeches welcoming the new bishop who will replace the late Bishop Cornelius Korir who died two years ago.
“We welcome all leaders to attend and witness as we welcome our new Bishop. It will be an opportunity for us to reflect and talk about peace and unity in our country even as we discuss the BBI process,” Soy MP Caleb Kositany said.
Kositany said they would respect the church event but also talk about issues that affect the country considering that the church plays a great role in the social, political and economic state of the country.
Kesses MP Swarrup Mishra in whose constituency the event will take place said they were ready to host the president and other invited guests with respect.
“The President and his deputy are our leaders and if they come to the event it will be a great honour to us. The church is equally very important and we expect prayer, messages of peace and unity for the country,” said Mishra.
Sources, however, indicated that some of the DP Ruto allies in the region had planned to speak out on the BBI issue because the church event was a good opportunity to focus on peace and unity.
“We always ask our church leaders to pray for the unity and peace of our country and such a church event is a good opportunity to speak about the same. We have been told the BBI is aimed at uniting the country and we will definitely speak out our mind with or without the president’s presence,” said one of the MPs allied to Ruto.
Kimengich himself is expected to comment on the BBI matter.
Last week he led religious leaders in the Rift Valley to warn that heightened politics around the BBI may plunge the country into a serious political crisis and divisions ahead of the 2022 elections.
Kimengich and chairman of the Muslim Imams and Preachers in the region Abubakar Bini said political leaders must slow down and drive the country to the right direction noting that wounds of the past were yet to heal.
Kimengich says the BBI should be handled as a separate process that is not linked to the 2022 polls.
He says political leaders must stop whipping tensions and emotions over the BBI which was meant to resolve some of the major problems that have over the years undermined economic, social and political stability of the country.
“If we go the way we are going then it’s not proper because the BBI has important issues yet we can also hear some politicians saying it’s a political vehicle for 2022 elections. We should deal with the BBI and the elections separately,” said Kimengich last week.
