A realization that the BBI constitutional amendment push was headed for a mega win, forced Deputy President William Ruto to suddenly change tune on Friday this week and support it, Latest can now authoritatively report.
Sources close to the DP narrated to our Exclusives desk how, an intense meeting between the DP and his core strategy team, made him eat a humble pie and support BBI.
Immediately after the signature collection drive was initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday this week, Dr. Ruto, who was visibly absent during the event at KICC, is said to have convened an urgent meeting with his core team, the fifth of such in three days, to review the unfolding events and chart a way forward.
It is during this meeting where, a trusted strategist of the DP, who mostly operates behind the scenes, tabled a detailed perception report, compiled with the help of a British data mining firm, which showed that up to 72% of Kenyans were warming up to BBI, even before a rigorous popularization exercise said to be in the works, kicked off.
Dr. Ruto was apparently convinced by the findings and thus decided to make an about turn and support BBI, to the surprise and disappointment of most of his allies and close confidants.
“Hii kitu ni kama inapita. Hatutaweza kupigana nayo,” Ruto told the shocked team.
Even an attempt by an irate vocal Rift Valley Senator, to try convince the DP otherwise, was met with a serious reprimand.
“Wewe uko na pesa na nguvu ya kuongoza NO campaign ama unaongea tu?” Ruto asked the Senator.
DP Ruto and his allies are on record as having sworn to never support the BBI but on Friday, he tweeted, “NEW article 11A in the BBI Constitution bill INTRODUCED AFTER Bomas will ANCHOR the ORDINARY PEOPLES' Hustler economics of wheelbarrow, boda×2, mamamboga, pastoralists/butchers & GUARANTEED MINIMUM RETURNS on coffee, tea,korosho,sukari,maize. BOTTOM UP NOT TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS.”
In the last few days, Dr. Ruto has been under pressure to lead the NO camp, a task he has been tactically evading, only unleashing his lieutenants to bash BBI.
Our attempts to get a comment from the DP’s Director of Communication Emmanuel Talam were fruitless as our calls went unanswered.
According to our source, Kenyans should brace ourselves for more outright support of the BBI by the DP in the coming days, as he seeks to avoid a political loss by leading the NO camp which would be a bad signal for his 2022 presidential ambitions.
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