NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 30 – The Building Bridges Initiative Steering Committee says it has completed its task, and is now ready to present its final report.
Joint Secretaries of the Taskforce, Martin Kimani and Paul Mwangi, said they have already communicated with State House and are only waiting for an appointment to hand over the report to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake principal Raila Odinga.
“The Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Building Bridges to a United Kenya Taskforce has the honour to inform Kenyans that it has met its term of reference as per the Kenya Gazette,” the BBI team said.
The 11-member team said they have successfully, conducted validation of the Task Force Report on Building Bridges to a United Kenya through consultations with citizens, civil society, the faith-based organization, cultural leaders, the private sectors, and experts.
Capital FM News understands that an appointment for the team will be given as soon as Odinga jets back from Dubai, where he is recuperating after a successful surgery.
The team led by Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji was mandated to validate proposed administrative, policy, statutory or constitutional changes that may be necessary for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Task Force Report, by taking into account any relevant contributions made during the validation period.
“Members are profoundly conscious of the importance of this moment, as Kenya, and many other countries around the world look to undertake reforms that unite citizens, stabilise politics, combat corruption and offer more economic and livelihood opportunities to all,” the committee’s Joint Secretaries said in a statement to newsrooms.
The team said they are awaiting on confirmation of dates and venues for the handover subject to the on-going regulations on the prevention of COVID-19 infections.
There have been concerns that the much-awaited handing over of the Building Bridges Initiative’s report that was expected this week may be delayed further due to the hospitalization of Odinga and the lockdown of State House after confirmation of cases of COVID-19 on officials.
The report to be presented to President Kenyatta and Odinga was commissioned when the two leaders shook hands on the steps of Harambee House in Nairobi in March 2018, ending political animosity that had been blamed for slowing down development in the country.
The Joint Secretaries have also denied reports appearing in a section of the media ‘claiming to offer definitive information on the BBI outcomes.
“The intention of such false reports is to divide Kenyans and to seek to capitalize on such divisions; they come from the very culture that Kenyans are looking to cure through this process,” they stated.
The committee’s current mandate was to oversee the implementation of the BBI report that was launched in November 2019 by structuring recommendations by Kenyans into implementable action plans.
According to a Gazette Notice issued on January 10, the team mandate lapses at midnight.
