William Ruto: BBI is gone, let’s focus on Big-4 Agenda
Deputy President William Ruto plans to revive the Big Four Agenda conversation to replace the “controversial’ Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which was declared unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal on Friday.
The deputy president lauded the seven-judge bench for ‘emphatically’ settling what he termed as the recent controversial constitutional amendments proposals and processes, which had also been declared null and void at the High Court in May.
“On both occasions, our courts were bold, clear and unmistakable. Without any doubt, the court brought the voice of Wanjiku to life, and called on us to move on to the most pressing needs of our citizens and the nation,” the DP said during a press briefing in his Karen home on Saturday.
The ruling was a breath of fresh air for the DP who has opposed the BBI process fronted by his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga. The document emanated from the surprise handshake of the two principals in March 2018.
Rule of law
He called upon the nation to use the moment to reflect, appreciate and pay reference to God for the unique day as well as celebrate the progress of the nation and institutions which have come of age, like the Judiciary.
The DP stated that the court’s decision reaffirms Kenya as a country governed by the rule of law, not the rule of men, where the Constitution and sovereignty of the people are supreme, and not the political elite.
“However, no one has won or lost: It is a win-win for the people and the Constitution: The people have won, the Constitution has won and the rule of law has prevailed. I laud the courage of the judges who have bravely defended the Constitution. God bless you,” Dr Ruto said.
He added: “The Constitution continues to reveal itself anew, day after day, as the living expression of the sovereign will of Kenyans. We rejoice in the timeless spirit of freedom that remains alive in our land. We delight most thankfully in the vigilance and civic engagement that pervades our country, and the commitment by Kenyans of all walks of life to rise and defend their liberty.”
Following the ruling, the DP said: “We may now live our lives and build our nation’ with the confidence that the brave patriots of the Judiciary stand ready, capable and courageous to secure the promise of the National Anthem that ‘justice be our shield and defender’.
He criticised the One Kenya Alliance members for focusing on building coalitions and sharing power instead of building ideas and opportunities that benefit Kenyans.
“The nation we envision is focused on success through enterprise, not largesse from patronage and is committed to fundamental and inclusive economic transformation, not opportunistic coalitions to rig the system against the people,” said Dr Ruto.
“Now henceforth, we must build an alliance of all Kenyans with our young people at the core so that we can tap into our creativity, talents, energy to fashion the new Kenya where success is not based on who you know but how hard you work, a Kenya where nobody is left behind.”
Ordinary citizens
He called on his fellow leaders to come together and actualise the aspirations of ordinary citizens. He stated the need to urgently retrace our path to the Big 4 Agenda and commit adequate resources towards the decisive management of the Covid-19 crisis.
“In this spirit, it is time for us, especially the political class, to set down our battle standards and shed our partisan armour, and unite in. It is time for us to join hands and pursue the priorities of wananchi with the same urgency and vigour that had been dedicated to the BBI.
“We must make up for all the time lost, resources spent and opportunities foregone in the knowledge that time is of the essence. For truly, it is never too late to do the right thing,” said the DP.
Top of the agenda to recalibrating the economy, he said, is the revival of the Big 4 agenda, which he said was packaged as a comprehensive raft of policy interventions, programmes and projects aimed at creating millions of jobs for our young people, rejuvenating our agriculture for food security, agro-processing, value addition and manufacturing- securing the health of millions of our citizens through Universal Health Care.
“I have held discussions with legislators and we have agreed to fast-track the long-delayed amendments to the NHIF Act in order to unlock the dream of achieving Universal Health Coverage,” said the DP.
Joblessness
The DP further emphasised the need to urgently address issues facing the youth who he said are most affected by the grave state of affairs in our country.
“The overwhelming majority of young people suffer the brunt of joblessness, many are driven to depression, many have become victims of drug abuse syndicates and the vast majority are hostages of burdensome debts.
“Today, I call on each and every young person in our country to step forward, stand up to be counted, summon their energy, talent and knowledge to imagine, fashion and create a new Kenya,” the DP said.
He urged the youth to refuse to be sidelined, to resist being marginalised but to assume their rightful place in national discourse noting that their future, and that of the nation, is anchored on their readiness to assume your rightful position.
“As leaders, we must consolidate the beauty of our dreams by believing in the promise of our young people. We must deliberately, purposefully and meaningfully turn to and keep our focus on listening to the youth and ceding ever greater space for them to express themselves and actualise their aspirations,” he stated.
