This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce report was officially unveiled at the Bomas of Kenya, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to bridge the divide between different political factions. However, the cost to taxpayers has been a subject of speculation, with some reports suggesting that the report cost a staggering Ksh.10 billion.
Dr. Martin Kimani, the BBI taskforce Joint Secretary, has come out to deny these claims, stating that the actual cost was significantly lower than the speculated figure. Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV's Day Break show, Dr. Kimani refuted the speculation, terming it a 'fallacy.'
According to Dr. Kimani, the taskforce did not have anywhere close to the Ksh.10 billion, and he even went further to state that the actual cost was less than 1% of that figure. He emphasized that the taskforce had deliberately tried to have value for money, and that the report was full of clear recommendations about wastage and duplication.
Dr. Kimani also revealed that he did not pocket any allowances from the government for the job, and that the taskforce had decided to do things differently to save taxpayers' money. However, he declined to reveal the exact amount of money the taskforce spent during the process, citing the need to establish the figures with the Administrator.
Dr. Kimani's remarks come a day after Thirdway Alliance party leader, Dr. Ekuru Aukot, rubbished the BBI report, terming it a 'collection of street talks tailor-made to create chaos by weakening constitutional institutions' and a 'waste of billions of taxpayers' money.'
