Details emerge on behind the scenes intrigues that led to the delay of the BBI report amidst repost of looming showdown pitting DP Ruto against President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga

Details have emerged on why the report compiled by the Building Bridges Initiative tasks force was delayed despite the team whose mandate expired on 23 October maintaining that the report is ready.

Speculation has been rife that the delay was necessary to lay the ground amidst a politically charged environment with one wing allied to DP Ruto openly opposing the report even before it is released and dismissing it as a scheme to create posts for individuals.

Analysts opine that President Kenyatta’s meeting at Sagana State Lodge with Jubilee leaders from Mount Kenya was to lay the ground ahead of the report’s release.

President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Sagana meeting Pulse Live Kenya

Quoting a well-placed source familiar with the intrigues, Saturday Nation reported that “the delay could have been caused by the rush to harmonise and incorporate the recommendations of President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga’s teams after they reviewed the draft copies of the report”.

The publication did not however reveal the details of the issues that President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga wanted to see reviewed before accepting the report even as it quoted a source stating that there have been concerted efforts “to ensure this thing (BBI) is sitting properly”.

BBI task force secretary clears the air

One of the team’s secretaries, Amb. Martin Kimani, on Friday sought to clear the air on Friday, stating that the delay was caused by President Kenyatta’s packed schedule.

“Getting hold of a President is never an easy thing and we appreciate that the Head of State has been dealing with a very busy schedule. We also appreciate the desire to make sure everything, from the time it is received to getting it to Kenyans, is smooth and quick,” Mr Kimani told Nation.

An appointment with the President and Raila Odinga was finally secured with the task force’s chairman Yusuf Haji confirming the 26 Nov 2019 will be the big day.

File image of BBI task force Pulse Live Kenya

“It is now our privilege to inform the public that an appointment to hand in the report to the President has been arranged for Tuesday, November 26, 2019,” Haji stated.

The president also confirmed that he had “told them that they are free to bring it (the BBI report) to me on Tuesday and I assure you that as soon as I receive it, I will personally go through it and, at the same time, hand it to all Kenyans”.