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The political paradox that is Uhuru-Raila Handshake

Monday, March 9th, 2020 00:00 | By
President Uhuru Kenyatta with Opposition leader Raila Odinga when they announced a political truce in March, 2018. Photo/PD/File

  by  Anthony Mwangi

@PeopleDailyKe

Today marks exactly two years since President Uhuru Kenyatta and his erstwhile political rival Raila Odinga declared truce in the famous Handshake outside Harambee House.

It is the second anniversary for the gesture that cooled political temperatures that had almost pushed the country to the precipice after the hotly-contested and controversial outcome of the August 2017 presidential election.

The Supreme Court annulled the result and ordered a repeat election on October 26, following a successful petition by the Raila-led National Super Alliance (Nasa). The Opposition boycotted the repeat poll.    

The Handshake, which came after Raila had controversially sworn himself as the “people’s president” on January 30, 2018, managed to restore calm in the restive and divided country.

It also birthed the Building Bridges Initiative(BBI) to address what the two principals considered some of Kenyan’s most emotive issues, including inclusivity and electoral  cycle of violence.

Tribal politics

According to Uhuru, the unity pact between him and the Opposition leader created greater transparency and cohesion, adding that he wants to recalibrate Kenya’s future politics and ensure it is based on agenda and not tribe or religion.

“Through this Handshake, we will be able to create a system and a style of politics where people will say we do not want to be dragged back tribal politics,” Uhuru said, adding that; “Politics must be issue-based politics, programme-based, agenda-based but not tribal or religious, because we have seen in that period where there were no politics of ethnicity, no politics of religion, we were peaceful. And we are not going to allow any other politician to take that away.” 

And even as the country debates BBI report, which has made proposals that have already triggered political divisions, especially within the ruling Jubilee party, one of its greatest dividends has been peace.

 The point of departure, particularly among the political elite, is the proposal to expand Executive to ensure inclusivity in government. The other emotive issues are the sharing of resources and fight against corruption. 

 Ironically, the Handshake, whose key pillar was unity of the country, has been blamed for the fallout between President Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto. The upshot of the differences between the two  leaders has led to the creation of two rival groups in the ruling party— Kieleweke, which is pro-Handshake and Uhuru and Tanga Tanga that backs Ruto’s 2022 State House bid.

The DP, who has been critical of the Handshake, has cautioned Kenyans not to be blinded by the BBI, which he says is a ploy to create positions and put politicians to power through the and back door.

“Let Kenyans not be cheated through BBI, it is a ploy to create power for certain project and also extend leadership period for others...what we need is a document that will bring development in agriculture, infrastructure, education and health sectors among others and not a BBI to sneak people to power,” Ruto told a meeting in Meru at the weekend.

Divide Kenyans

But Uhuru has insisted that he agreed with Raila to unite the country and set the foundation for development and cautioned against politicians the 2022  succession politics.

The BBI report has been made public, but there has been anxiety on the route of its implementation since it is not anchored in law. Predictably, opinion is divided on whether the BBI proposals be subjected to a referendum and be enacted through legislation by the two Houses of Parliament. 

“This will largely involve expanding and guiding public participation, and structuring recommendations by Kenyans into implementable action plans,”said State House while announcing the decision to extend the mandate of the Yusuf Haji-led taskforce spearheading the BBI. 

According to Soy MP Caleb Kositany, one of Ruto’s ardent backers,  the Handshake has not achieved anything, and only worked to divide Kenyans.

“The BBI project was meant to sideline Ruto. It was not about uniting Kenyans. It is a scheme to frustrate the DP,” he told the People Daily yesterday.

But former Jubilee vice chair David Murathe, a close ally of Uhuru, says the political truce between  the President and Raila has opened the space for Kenyans to express their long held grievances, especially on historical injustices.

“Kenyans can now express there stand on inclusion in political an economic needs which will be entrenched through the BBI,” he said.

Murathe insists that the Handshake is the best thing ever to happen in this country.

“It’s good for the country, remember after the first handshake in 2013, there was peace between the Kikuyu’s and Kalenjin communities,” he said, adding that;“Those opposed to the Handshake should realise that it has brought peace and stability in the country which is good for the economy and country those fighting don’t like the peace agenda being propagated by President Kenyatta.” 

Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa, a DP ally, says the Handshake was expected to come with less political anarchy. 

“Unfortunately, the Handshake was hijacked by political interests and the expected economic gains have been squandered,” he said.

The country has in the last few months been engulfed in high level politics with one side of the divide holding rallies to the popularise the BBI report with the other side puncturing holes the initiate.

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