This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
Kenya's Monday, September 2 Newspapers ¶
Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto has sparked controversy by claiming that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) fuels tribalism in the country.
According to Ruto, BBI's push for the five ethnic groups to be included in leadership positions will only exacerbate the issue of tribalism.
"Tunatatua masuala ya kushirikishwa ama tunachangia ukabila na kutoshirikishwa. Tunatakiwa makini sana na kile tunafanya," Ruto said.
However, Ruto's statement comes just days after a Member of Parliament (MP) Mohamed Ali criticized BBI, calling it a multi-billion shilling project.
On a separate note, the government has been accused of planning to forcibly relocate 40,000 residents from the Mau Forest without their consent.
According to reports, the government has deployed security personnel to the area to carry out the relocation exercise.
However, local leaders have opposed the move, calling on President Uhuru Kenyatta to put the exercise on hold.
Additionally, a group of politicians from Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties have been accused of inflating the population figures in a recent national census.
The politicians are alleged to have instructed census officials to increase the population figures to make it seem like there are more people in the area.
This was done to secure more resources from the government.
As of now, three of the politicians have been arrested, while many others are being investigated.
