Ruto Faults President Uhuru for Ignoring His Advice on BBI

Deputy President William Ruto has faulted President Kenyatta for ignoring his advice on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

Ruto noted that he is not to blame for the collapse of the constitutional review process, saying the courts affirmed his stand that the BBI had serious constitutional flaws.

The deputy president insisted that the process failed to accommodate the views of the majority of Kenyans, including himself

“How can anybody hold it against me today that I did not support the BBI when I clearly stated my position on matters that are controversial and unconstitutional yet the court has vindicated me that BBI had constitutional challenges,” Ruto said.

Ruto spoke during a consultative meeting with grassroots leaders from Nyeri County at his Karen residence, where he faulted President Kenyatta and other BBI proponents for refusing to listen to the issues he had raised. He argued that he executed his mandate by advising the President on the shortcomings of BBI but he ignored it.

“My responsibility as the deputy president is to advise the president, in accordance with our constitution, as I see it. And I did my duty and informed him of the mistakes in BBI. It would have been a big mistake if I had not raised the issues yet I knew those issues were there,” Ruto added.

On Tuesday, Ruto termed the BBI as the most dangerous project in the country’s history, saying it was seeking to install an imperial president who would control all arms of the government.

“It was going to install an imperial president who would control the Judiciary, the Executive, and the Legislature. It was simply dangerous. We thank God BBI failed. Let us not lie to ourselves and the people,” he said.