By Peter Amunga.
Many times we come across articles or news bytes that tend to heap H.E. Mudavadi with those opposed to the BBI. We even see media trying to say that Mudavadi and Ruto are working together to fight BBI. Nothing can be further from the truth.
Those who keep a close tab on Musalia Mudavadi, know that he is NOT opposed to the BII per see. If you listened to him During BBI 1 and BBI 2 at Bomas, his,big concern was inclusivity of all Kenyans.
He has not opposed the report or tried to make political mileage using BBI. His mind is on a document that works for Kenya and not tailored for some individual.
SERENA PEACE TALKS
Mudavdi was in the peace talks held at Serena in 2008 under the late Kofi Annan and Benjamin Mukapa. He wants Kenyans to navigate the BBI journey carefully knowing well how the highly divisive 2005 ORANGE VS BANANA referendum did to our country. Both the Kriggler Report and the Serena peace talks concluded that the 2005 divisive referendum contributed to the disgraced 2007 elections, which snowballed into the infamous post election violence in which 1500 lives were lost and over a half a million Kenyans displaced.
Mudavadi’s mind on the BBI.
- Mudavadi does not wanted a contested referendum of YES AND NO over the BBI because such a move can easily divide Kenyans further.
- He cannot afford a repeat of the 2007- 2008 post-election violence in 2022- 2023.
- He is calling for a meaningful discourse on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report, which he says… is the sole purpose of the report. To make Kenya a more united and a more inclusive country.
- He wants the political class, to first read the BBi and then allow for room for consensus building to avoid creation of us vs them. This, Mudavadi believes will allow Kenyans to understand the document, its proposals, via cohesion building and inclusiveness
CONCLUSION
The BBI will ostensibly lead to a referendum. This referendum needs not to be divisive like the one we had in 2005. Mudavadi, being the quality leader he is, want the BBI debate to continue with full realization that the interests of Kenya are far much bigger than any politician or individual.
