The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Report has finally been completed and is awaiting formal handover to the two handshake partners, President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader, Raila Odinga.
But even as the country waits for the two leaders to receive and officially make the report public, Uhuru and Raila seem to have hatched elaborate plans to secretly assemble their forces ahead of the release.
On Monday morning, Uhuru secretly sneaked to his Gatundu village after many months of being away from his central backyard.
Sources revealed that Uhuru visited the place to check on the progress of various development projects but analysts opined that the head of state was out to meet some key strategic figures in the region concerning the BBI report.
This was the reason the President decided to keep his visit a secret. Although the head of the state did not want any attention, locals could not fail to notice him and mobbed his motorcade forcing him to get out of his car and briefly address them.
Central Kenya is considered one of the key regions which will contribute greatly to the success or failure of the report owing to its large population.
Deputy President William Ruto has been transversing the region in a bid to popularise his 2022 candidature, and this had already put President Uhuru in a dilemma in his own backyard, which is seen to be dancing to Ruto’s political tune.
But even as the president seemed engrossed in the report, his counterpart Raila Odinga is also taking nothing to chance as far as the BBI is concerned.
On Sunday, the ODM leader made a powerful political statement by unveiling what he termed as ‘the handshake team’.
While campaigning for ODM candidate in Kibra by-elections, Raila hosted some of the key figures in KANU, Maendeleo Chap Chap and Narc parties.
The three parties showed the clearest indication of joining ODM and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s wing of Jubilee to drum up support for the report once it is out.
” We are here in respect of President Uhuru Kenyatta and the handshake. We will be back again to drum up support for the BBI and we ask you to join us in this journey,” Kirinyaga Governor, one of the senior members of Jubilee Party said on Sunday in Kibra.
The two leaders hope to capitalise on governors’ influence and financial power to rally Kenyans behind the initiative. The duo have reportedly reached out to the Council of Governors to throw its weight behind the BBI.
Already, top political parties have expressed their support to the BBI report once it is out if the declarations at the Kibra ODM rally on Sunday are anything to go by.