NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 22- After a victorious political race in ‘stopping reggae’, Deputy President William Ruto has changed his tune to a reconciliatory one, saying the focus now should be developing the country.
The fall of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) following the move by the Court of Appeal to uphold the High Court Judgement declaring the Building Bridges Initiative null and void- has been largely seen as his win, but he thinks otherwise.
In a detailed statement released on Saturday, the Deputy President said “it is a win for the people and the constitution.”
“The people have won; the Constitution has won and the rule of the law has prevailed.”
A section of Kenyans have been engaging on social media on what the ruling means, and whether it is a win for Ruto or a loss of President Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Others have been satirical about the loss and wants the proponents “to mourn” in silence or with class.
DP Ruto’s challenge to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, which he is part of but largely sidelined, is to retrace where the Big Four agenda has reached and put as much energy as they did with BBI, to achieve it.
“The court decision reaffirms Kenya is a country governed by the rule of law, not the rule of men, where the Constitution and sovereignty of the people are supreme,” he said.
The DP, who accredited the Court of Appeal Judgement to divine intervention by “the Almighty God” said the government should also focus on embarking on an aggressive vaccination programme against COVID-19 pandemic.
The disease has since March 2020 killed 4,435 people in Kenya.
“We may now live our lives and build our nation with the confidence that the brave patriots of our Judiciary stand ready, capable and courageous to secure the promise of our National Anthem that Justice be our shield and defender,” the Deputy President, who is seeking to take over from President Kenyatta once his term ends next year said.
He challenged politicians to use the remaining time to serve the people- who are facing a myriad of challenges from a slowed down economy to health issues largely due to the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is time for us to join hands and pursue the priorities of the people with the same urgency and vigour that had been dedicated to the BBI,” he said.
“We must make up for all the time lost, resources spent and opportunities forgone in the knowledge that time is of the essence. For truly, it is never too late to do the right thing.”
Already, the Deputy President said he had held talks with legislators on the need to fast track the “long delayed amendments to the NHIF Act in order to unlock the dream of achieving Universal Health Coverage.”
“We have agreed on a similar initiative of reintroducing amendments to the Housing Act to establish the framework for the actualisation of the Housing Fund that is a prerequisite for unlocking the housing programme envisaged in the Big 4 plan. This will set the stage for the achievement of the Housing pillar of the Big 4 Agenda.”
He further challenged the youth to position themselves strategically, for them to be part of the national discourse.
On Friday, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga hailed the Court of Appeal judgement as “remarkable”, saying it will “form part of the continuing conversation on the future of this country and the significance of our new Constitution to the political culture we and the generations that will come after us will practice.”
Though the ‘BBI Reggae’ has been stooped, he said the conversation is not over yet.
As it is now, he said “we feel that we have to move on.”
“Without doubt , we shall deal with all the issues in the months and years that will unfold onwards.”
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