BBI was s*******n but it gave birth to Azimio la Umoja
ODM leader Raila Odinga is today expected to announce his fifth stab at the presidency come the General Election 2022.
Raila, who entered into a truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 9, 2018 after a gruelling 2017 elections, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on what they termed as a nine-point agenda to steer the country into the right track.
The duo would later form a Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce, that went around the country collecting views on the ills bedevilling the nation and propose how to address them.
The initial BBI document proposed that the country should do away with the “winner takes all” model of presidency.
The first BBI taskforce report also recommended the creation of the position of Prime Minister in the same model as used by Tanzania and to establish the office of the Leader of the Opposition who will be the runner up of the presidential election.
On corruption, the initiative proposed that Kenya should be free from the capture of cartels and on devolution, the report recommended an increase of resources to the counties to 35 per cent from the current 15 per cent of the last audited national revenue account.
However, while the process of BBI was taking place, some activists and politicians challenged the legality of the process in court and a five-judge High bench ruled that the initiative was null and void.
Raila would in August 2021 in Nakuru County launch ‘Azimio la Umoja’, a strategic plan aimed at uniting the country ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Dissect problems
During the launch, Raila said the objective was to dissect problems facing the country, among them political inclusion, divisive electoral processes, insecurity, corruption and reviving the economy.
“Leaders should fight for historically marginalised groups and unite to create wealth and shun using poverty as a tool for political gain,” he remarked.
While the collapse of the BBI dealt Raila a considerable impediment, it gave birth to the Azimio La Umoja. The upcoming celebration, therefore, is a big moment for Raila.
Raila has in the recent past said that just like his friend Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema.
“Hichilema vied five times. On three occasions, he won but still did not become President. He never gave up until when he vied for the sixth time and he became President,” said Raila.
Former United States International University lecturer Macharia Munene argues that should the Azimio initiative flop, Raila will still find another way.
Political analyst Masibo Lumala says Raila is a man of all seasons.
“Kenyan politicians are dynamic and change with time. BBI came and the court annulled the whole process. The more things looked difficult the more Raila reinvented himself,” opines Dr Lumala.
