Deputy President William Ruto has revealed why he skipped yesterday’s launch of the signature collection for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) proposals on amending the 2010 Constitution.
The DP through his spokesman Emanuel Tallam stated that he was not invited to the event.
According to Tallam, Ruto spent his day at his official residence, watching on TV as his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta and Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga led the country in launching the BBI signature collection at Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
“Ruto was not invited to the event, if anybody claims to have invited him, let him show you the invitation letter,” said Tallam.
DP Ruto’s name was conspicuously missing from the programme at the signature collection launch at the KICC.
His duty of welcoming the president was delegated ODM boss with the programme indicating that the event would end with Raila inviting the president to give the final speech.
The DP’s seat also remained vacant, and placed next to that of President Uhuru Kenyatta, an indication that he may have been invited.
The deputy president took to Twitter moments after the signature collection launch insisting that there is still time to build consensus on BBI.
He stated that there is still chance for a non-divisive referendum adding that unity is the strength needed to fight the Covid-19 pandemic as well as re-organize the country’s economy.
“Even with the signature launch, there is still a real chance at a consensus for a non-divisive referendum that will give Kenyans the opportunity to express themselves without an us vs them, win vs lose the contest.
“Unity is the strength needed to fight Covid-19 and organise the economy.” Ruto tweeted hours after the event.
during the launch of the BBI validation report at the Bomas of Kenya auditorium, Ruto gave six reasons why he thought the document needed to be improved before it is subjected to a plebiscite.
Notably, the BBI document was amended to address some of the contentious issues DP Ruto raised during the launch of the report at Bomas of Kenya.
Out of the six issues he thought the document needed to improve before the it subjected to a referendum, three were addressed including the resumption of the independence of the police, the removal of the proposal for IEBC commissioners to be picked by political parties and strengthening of Senate.
