This archive report was first published on 1 July 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga's push for a referendum to increase the number of powerful seats in the Executive has received a surprise boost from Deputy President William Ruto's allies.
After months of opposing the proposal, the DP's supporters have now come out in support, saying it will be beneficial to their man ahead of the 2022 elections.
The change in tune comes as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) team is expected to hand over their report to the President and Mr Odinga soon.
The report is expected to maintain the President as the Head of State and government, but propose the creation of a prime minister's office to be appointed by MPs.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, one of the key figures in Dr Ruto's camp, said the DP will benefit from an expanded Executive as he will be able to reach out to more leaders to build a coalition and share responsibilities.
"The DP is likely to benefit from an expanded Executive because he will be in a position to reach out to more leaders to build a coalition together and share responsibilities bolstering his State House bid," he said.
Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono said they are interested in the benefits of the report for Kenyans, but warned that they will oppose it if it's aimed at benefiting only the Handshake duo.
"In fact, using the parliamentary way is the best route -- it is faster and cheaper and will also save us time. However, the recommendations must be beneficial to the people who elected us," he said.
After the purge in Jubilee and signing of political coalitions that have guaranteed the President and Mr Odinga numbers in Parliament, it has emerged that the two are considering pushing the BBI proposals through Parliament, and not the long route of collecting one million signatures and getting the endorsement of county assemblies for a referendum.
