• All the regions across the country have held rallies save for some parts of the Rift Valley where meetings were cancelled over coronavirus.
• In the Rift Valley, only the Maa region held a public forum, while Trans Nzoia was part of the Western region meeting.
Image: BRIAN OJAMAA
The Building Bridges Initiative team will continue to receive written submissions until the end of March even after completing the public validation process.
Martin Kimani, the joint secretary to the BBI taskforce, yesterday said the panel will not accept submissions from April 1.
"We concluded the physical submission exercise last week. We will be open for written submissions until the end of the month," Kimani told the Star.
This means individuals and groups that did not appear before the Yusuf Haji-led panel have a window of opportunity to send their proposals directly to the team.
The closure of open sessions came at a time when some parts of Rift Valley have yet to hold any rally to publicly hand over proposals. The rest of the country had held their rallies. In the Rift Valley, only the Maa region (Narok, Kajiado and Samburu) held a rally. Trans Nzoia was part of the Western region rally.
The initial rally that was scheduled for Eldoret was pushed to March 21 and the venue moved to Afraha Stadium Nakuru over political tensions. However, the government's order suspending all public gatherings following the coronavirus outbreak further complicated the possibility of a rally in the region.
Yesterday, some politicians from the Rift Valley said given that counties had already held their individual meetings to agree on their proposals to the BBI team, written submissions will be filed.
"I don't think there is any much problem. We had already prepared submissions from each county and what was remaining was to harmonise them so that they would capture the views of the entire region," former Cabinet Minister Franklin Bett said.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, a close ally of the DP, said the rallies which had been suspended because of the COVID-19 had initially been seen as inciting Kenyans against one another.
“The theme of the rallies had been hijacked by selfish elements who were pursuing an agenda of trying to undermine the deputy president. Those with submissions should send them to the Haji people,” Sudi said.
Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika said Rift Valley leaders were ready to take charge of the BBI rally in Nakuru to enable the region to discuss its issues.
“What we were against was a scheme by some politicians to bring their own issues to the people of the rift valley and try to play politics. We ere ready for the rally,” she said.
Kihika said they would wait and see if there would be any window to hold such a rally as initially planned. “With the Coronavirus then it means that written submissions will be handed over to the BBI team soon,” she added.
The BBI team has until the end of June to submit a report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga. The report incorporates proposals on solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the country.