This archive report was first published on 11 January 2020.
Published on January 11, 2020, by Jeremiah Kiplang'at
Baringo Senator Gideon Moi's party, Kanu, is seeking to outwit Deputy President William Ruto and lead Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) campaigns in the Rift Valley.
The party, led by Mr Moi, aims to take control of the second phase of the BBI report in the region, which is at a crossroads over the next course of political action after the report was released last November.
Kanu was quick to express its support for the 'handshake' between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in March 2018 and backed the BBI team when it faced a barrage of accusations from Deputy President Ruto and his allies for over a year.
However, the party's move has already angered the DP's allies, who claim to hold sway in Rift Valley and believe should be the ones to determine the direction the region takes in the second phase of BBI.
Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat said the party will play the leading role in the BBI talks, pushing for a more powerful prime minister in a new governance structure than the ceremonial one proposed by the BBI team.
"We were the first to express our total support for BBI before the other team (Ruto allies) changed their mind. We have set up a secretariat, which we expect to be ratified by the party soon," Mr Salat said.
He said the party will push for a hybrid system where both the presidency and the PM's office share powers without clashing, citing Tanzania as a model and many others within the Commonwealth to learn from.
However, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, a close ally of the DP, dismissed Kanu's plans, saying the fresh BBI round of talks was a waste of money, saying as a region they are satisfied with what is in the report.
