Kenyata and Odinga meet Governors over BBI

Kenya President Uhuru Kenyata and Opposition leader Odinga met Governors in Naivasha for a two-day over the Building Bridges initiative (BBI).

Uhuru and Odinga are seeking support for the BBI report which has sparked mixed reactions, with a section of the Governors and Ward representatives arguing that its implementation will particularly weaken the Senate.

 The retreat is organized by the Council of Governors (CoG)- some Ward Representatives have also been  invited through their umbrella body, the County Assemblies Forum (CAF) according to Kenyan press

Under the BBI arrangement, candidates vying for gubernatorial slots are required to pick women as their running mates.

“We are keen to ensure that our views and demands are captured in the report and that is the purpose of the retreat,” said CoG Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya.

A team of experts is reportedly at the retreat to help these Governors and the MCAs  understand contents in the document with the view of building consensus on the report.

Meanwhile, two weeks ago a similar retreat was held during which Uhuru and Raila met MPs from the bicameral Parliament who resolved to back the document and popularize it ahead of next year’s referendum that will see Kenyans cast their vote on whether to alter the country’s governance structure.

At least 24 county assemblies must approve the Bill for it to proceed to a referendum. This will be the third time the country goes into a vote for a constitutional review after the 2005 and the 2010 referendum.

The BBI has propelled Uhuru’s complete walk away from his Deputy President William Ruto who has largely been isolated from the BBI talks will not be present during the retreat.

Ruto has been leading an aggressive campaign to oppose the BBI report insisting that the document must undergo further amendments before a referendum. But allies of the president and prime minister insist that no further changes will be made on the report.

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