President Uhuru Kenyatta may depart from the presidency seat in 2022 but he is not going anywhere.
This is according to the city’s popular political scholar professor Peter Kagwanja. Despite expectations that Uhuru will head to his early retirement in 2022, Kagwanja opines that the head of state will still get involved in major political decisions on behalf of Mt. Kenya region.
“Uhuru Kenyatta will depart from the presidency as the constitution demands, but he is not going anywhere. He is a factor…it took 20 years for Mt. Kenya people to mould him and as we speak, nobody from the region will be in a position to bring Mt. Kenya people together with the same way Uhuru has done,” stated Kagwanja.
At the same time, Kagwanja, who was speaking at KTN’s Point Blank show on Wednesday evening, urged the public to go slow on the yet to be unveiled BBI report adding that the report was not about President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga rather involves all Kenyans.
Peter Kagwanja : Uhuru Kenyatta may depart as president but he's not going anywhere…#KTNPointblank pic.twitter.com/NBXVqT53xz
— KTN News Alerts (@KTNNewsKE) November 13, 2019
Kagwanja’s sentiments come at a time the whole country is still waiting for the BBI team to present the report to both President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga.
There had been growing speculation in Kenya that the BBI could lead to constitutional reforms to create new positions that could see Uhuru and Raila Odinga team up to vie to form the next government.
The much-awaited BBI report has remained shrouded in secrecy, except for ODM leader Raila Odinga’s expressed interest in a referendum that would restructure the executive to create space for a prime minister and a number of deputies or to expand the presidency.
Peter Kagwanja : We don't have Tanga Tanga in Nyanza or Ukambani. TangaT anga is a peculiary Mt. Kenya problem#KTNPointblank @TonyGachoka pic.twitter.com/mHmAicVJrm
— KTN News Alerts (@KTNNewsKE) November 13, 2019
Despite this, President Uhuru Kenyatta has already told off those accusing him of using the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to extend his mandate.
Speaking when he recently opened Phase 2A of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Nairobi to Naivasha, the Head of State said he was “tired and ready to go home” at the end of his term and told those spreading the propaganda to stop it.
Already, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has insisted overtime that the president was still young to retire in 2022 and that there was a need for a position to be created for him through a constitution change.