Women Leaders Grow Cold Feet Towards BBI

The Building Bridges Initiatives, a supposed legacy initiative of President Uhuru Kenyatta and former prime minister and Orange Democratic Party leader Raila Odinga seems to suffer cold feet in mount Kenya, as the dissenting voices grow in the region. In a leaked letter to the president by Muranga Senator Irungu Kangata, indicated that 6 out of 10 people were opposed to BBI in the Mount Kenya region. In the letter, Kangata indicates most of the rejections were by youth and women.

Later in a social media tweet, regretted copying the letter to other institutions where he suspected it was leaked from. Pressure by Jubilee leaders to have him publicly denounce the contents fell on deaf ears as Kangata Insisted that he penned the letter with a clean conscience, after sensing an imminent defeat for  BBI. Nominated senator Isaac Mwaura has led this exodus from Jubilee and BBI, with a series of public appearances and media interviews where he decries the poor prioritization of BBI in a country whose institutions are failing.

Leaders supporting BBI especially in the Mount Kenya region have been countered by mounting pressure by the public to push the government to re-route funds allocated for BBI to urgent public interest spending, including free education and healthcare. This seems to gain speed with several previously vocal leaders taking a safe position on BBI, away from the wrath of the masses.

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi Waiguru while in a public gathering, asked the public to wait for copies of the BBI document before taking a stand. She lightly intimated that she will start visiting churches on Sundays to interact further with voters. Previously the Governor was passionately speaking of BBI in public functions, and her newfound silence on the initiative is worth noting.

Muranga women representative and Governor hopeful Sabina Chege is reported to have acknowledged the popularity of William Ruto and the hustler movement in Muranga County, during a public function in the County. Similarly, she joins the list of BBI evangelists who have since gone quiet on the document.

Laikipia Women representative Catherine Waruguru caused a storm when she ditched the hustler movement and transformed overnight into a critic of Deputy President Wiliam Ruto. The flamboyant orator has also gone quiet on BBI.

During the launch of the BBI on 26^th October in Bomas of Kenya, the Deputy president questioned the diminishing place of women as proposed in the BBI document, where he insinuated that removing women representatives from Parliament to a Senate with reduced powers amongst to converting female legislators to rubberstamps and flower girls.

In the coming months, it’s expected that more elected leaders, who were either quiet or pro-BBI for fear of government backlash, will join the anti-BBI wave, to save their seats in the incoming elections.