ODM Breaks Silence on BBI Amidst Claims of Backfired Bid

Did President Uhuru Kenyatta play his long-time political nemesis turned friend, Raila Odinga, with the Building Bridges Initiative?

This is the question lingering in the minds of many Kenyans, who are still trying to identify what the former Prime Minister stands to gain from the recommendations of the BBI report, set to be made public Wednesday.

In the conversations building up to the release of the report, pundits had prospected the proposal for Constitutional amendments, to allow the ODM leader to run for the Presidency, with the current Constitution barring him from his Head of State vision, through the 70 years upper age limit for presidential candidates clause.

Odinga is currently 74 years old.

However, no mention of a repeal of the constitution in terms of the upper age limit has been highlighted in the report, leaving the country wondering where Odinga stands.

Kenyans have been waiting to hear the opinion of pre-BBI report release outspoken ODM leaders, and allies, on this outstanding feature of the document by the Yusuf Haji led taskforce.

Interestingly, many leaders have remained mum on the Odinga presidential candidature snub, only addressing the report superficially, with a hint of disgruntlement.

Odinga was the first to comment on the report immediately it was handed over to the President, Deputy President William Ruto, and himself, Tuesday.

President Uhuru Kenyatta (Centre), Deputy President William Ruto (Left) ODM leader Raila Odinga (Right) with the BBI taskforce team

” I commend @TheRealBBI team for the diligent work they have undertaken for the past year, having visited all 47 counties. I urge you all to read and familiarize yourselves with the report once it’s publicly available starting tomorrow,” Odinga dully tweeted.

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has also commented on the report, indicating that the Party is systematically going through the containments of the report, before issuing a verdict on its acceptability.

Homabay Woman Representative, Gladys Wanga, Wednesday found herself on the receiving end of Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria’s trolling, after she, with reference to the BBI report, continued with calls for a referendum.

ODM Spokesman Phillip Etale Tuesday night came out to rubbish the already circulating reports of the BBI recommendations, asking the country to wait until Uhuru and Odinga make the document public.

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, speaking on Citizen TV’s News Night segment, asserted that the containments of the document are not the solution to problems facing the country, rather, mere suggestions for national discourse.

ODM allied lawyer, Donald Kipkorir, came out guns blazing Wednesday at individuals mocking the ‘tsunami’ effect of the BBI report that Odinga had promised, maintaining that the fact that BBI opponents all of a sudden appear to be in support of the document now, is a tsunami enough effect.

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