SENATOR ORENGO LOSES BATTLE WITH UHURU’S MEN

Interior PS Karanja Kibicho has dismissed calls by Siaya Senator James Orengo to keep off the BBI referendum, stating that he would not relent in his popularisation drive.

Speaking on Wednesday, March 17, Kibicho who has been leading the BBI campaigns in the Central region, maintained that he was carrying out his mandate as a government official.

Orengo had stated that the ODM party was ready to quit the handshake and the BBI process over what he termed as meddling by Kibicho. 

“The constitution is for everybody, not just the politicians, and we will continue carrying out civic education on the BBI process. Some people see us talking about it, and they tell us to keep quiet because the BBI is political. That is not the case.

“We have a responsibility as the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government to ensure everyone is educated on the document,” the PS stated.

Kibicho recounted the violent scenes that were witnessed during the 2017 and 2018 elections, stating that the BBI pact between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga had played a major role in ensuring stabilizing the situation.

“When violence erupted, we would deplete a full store of teargas every week, dealing with the protesters and the government spent Ksh10 million every month to feed police officers deployed to quell the riots,” Kibicho stated.

A faction of ODM leaders had accused the PS of meddling in the BBI process with Orengo stating that Kibicho was working with other senior government officers to assume responsibilities of the BBI secretariat.

“The PS for interior (Kibicho) was feeling like he should let go of the secretariat appointed by the two leaders to stir this phase of the BBI, and it is now an open secret that the BBI is not being run from the secretariat,”  the senior counsel divulged.

He further threatened that ODM could pull out of the handshake if the official would not keep off BBI politics.

Orengo also claimed that certain individuals in the Office of The President were keen to block Raila from ascending to the presidency in 2022.

The ODM allied senator said that allies of the President had been holding meetings at the Harambee House with the aim of shaking up Uhuru and Raila handshake.

Suna East MP Junet Mohammed who doubles up as the BBI secretariat co-chair stated that the proposed draft was a property of ODM, and that they were fully in charge of the processes.

By Kenyans.co.ke