This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
Deputy President William Ruto has come out strongly against the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum, claiming it is a ploy to divide the country.
Speaking in Nakuru on August 31, 2019, Ruto said that no amount of shouting from the BBI proponents would make the referendum happen.
“Even if they shout at the top of their voice we shall not get off our truck. Our competition shall be based on development and not power. We shall not allow them to move us back to politics of hatred and ethnicity,” Ruto said.
He added that the BBI proposals would be met with a sober debate, but the country would not accept the spirit of division that the initiative seeks to create.
Ruto's sentiments come days after he faulted ODM leader Raila Odinga during a tour of Uasin Gishu County, accusing him of using the referendum debate to divide Kenyans.
The Deputy President was accompanied by his allies, including Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika, MPs Kimani Ichung'wa, Kuria Kimani, Kinuthia Gachobe, and David Gikaria, who also expressed their opposition to the BBI.
Ichung'wa said that as Jubilee leaders, they would not back the BBI, and would instead focus on the promises they made to the electorate.
Ms Kihika observed that the public would have identified with the BBI if it had focused on bettering education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“If Raila Odinga wants a political seat, let him face us in the 2022 polls,” she said.
