Why Ruto allies skipped BBI Narok rally
Allies of Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday skipped a fifty rally to popularize the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report at William Ole Ntimama Stadium, Narok County.
Instead, the politicians took to social media to disparage the BBI report alleging it is being used to plant discord and hate in the country.
Curiously, Senate Majority Leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa and his Gatundu South counterpart Moses Kuria who had attended the Kitui rally were no show.
Taking to their social media accounts, the lawmakers, led by Senator Murkomen disparaged the BBI document and regional rallies to popularise it, saying he made a personal decision not to attend the BBI rally in Narok because there was “a scheme to divide people along tribal lines.”
“I sympathize with problems affecting Kenyans in the three counties but I don’t believe the solutions lie in hating others. I believe in peace, love, and unity,” Murkomen said in a post on twitter.
“So Junet Mohamed, a Somali in Migori voted in by Luos went all the way to Narok to tell the Maasai not to elect non-Maa in Narok, Kajiado and Samburu counties, and Baba was cheering? he asked.
His views were shared by his Majority Whip Susan Kihika, who claimed the BBI report is quickly gaining momentum in balkanizing the country and whipping up terrible tribal emotions.
“Brothers and sisters, the BBI is sham and bad for Kenya! BBI is the greatest political con job of our time. It’s a scam,” Kihika, who is also the Nakuru Senator also posted on twitter.
Kikuyu legislator Kimani Ichung’wa said the politics of ethnic balkanization and BBI will not unite Kenyans by spreading hatred and divisions along ethnic lines for politic's sake.
He noted the BBI report should not be hijacked to create a new narrative of 40 against 2.
“The ODM BBI rallies are simply evil manifesting itself. The Kikuyu nation suffered in the past over this kind of divisive politics,” Ichung’wa wrote on twitter.
He added: “We were told to lie low like envelopes. We must never allow this brand of politics to creep back into our national conversation. We must stop the architect and lord of the 41 against 1 politics,”
The legislator took a swipe on Suna East MP Mohammed for allegdly calling on Maa nation not to elect a non-locals in any election in Samburu, Narok, and Kajiado counties.
“So are you telling me the people of Kiambu were stupid to elect the late gearbox Cyrus Omondi (may he RIP) as an MCA in Juja or a Kenyan Asian? or the Meru people in electing Hon Rahim Dawoud?” he asked.
Senator Cheruiyot, a close ally of DP Ruto, defended his absence from the Narok BBI meeting, saying there is hardly anything new being raised that is not already catered for by the Constitution.
He said very few leaders (if any) in the “BBI gravy train” mean well for Kenya and consider the document as an attempt to rebuild Kenya.
“Unless President Uhuru Kenyatta steps in to save his project, it will soon turn out to be Kenya's waterloo,” he posted on twitter.
On his part, Gatundu South legislator took to his Facebook claiming that Narok's BBI meeting only sought to advance divisive politics based on land issues.
“If your father acquired land surrender it to local community irrespective of how legally you acquired the land,” Kuria posted, “This is dangerous; the real precipice.”
During a Friday meeting by over 1000 delegates in Masai Mara University ahead of Saturday’s forum, Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno and Narok Deputy Governor Evalyn Aruasa walked out over claims of tribal profiling.
The two, who are Ruto allies, made good their threat to skip Saturday's meeting after Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina and the daughter of the late William Ntimama, Leah, claimed that the position of governor and deputy and other elective seats should be a preserve of the Maasai community.
