Details have emerged of a plan by leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto to counter any opposition to their presence at the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) consultative meeting set for Mombasa on Saturday, January 25.
The leaders have been tasked with mobilising large delegations from various areas including the Coast and Nairobi to attend the forum. It is expected that the delegates will counter any attempts to shout down members of the Ruto-allied Tanga Tanga political faction.
A number of key figures are already at the Coast to mobilise 500 supporters from each of the constituencies in the region to attend the meeting. After it emerged that Nominated Senator Millicent Omanga would be sponsoring 20 buses to ferry a delegation from Nairobi, Kenyans.co.ke got in touch with her office to shed light on the widely-circulated poster.
Omanga's office denied claims that the plan was to ferry Ruto's supporters to the event, noting they had received requests from residents of various Nairobi estates including perceived Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) strongholds who wished to attend the Mombasa meeting.
A high-ranking official in Omanga's office explained that the meeting would help Nairobi residents get a feel of the BBI process before the Nairobi edition of the same forum.
"We received so many requests from Nairobians who want to attend the meeting including from ODM strongholds like Kibra. This is not about ferrying Ruto's supporters.
"It is also important for people to get a feel of the BBI process before the Nairobi edition, and we cannot deny that these meetings are being led by politicians, not the BBI taskforce so the senator will be there," the source asserted.
The divide between the factions infamously played out at the BBI report launch at the Bomas of Kenya on November 27, 2019, when Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen, a Ruto ally, was met with jeers as he accused organisers of planning a biased event.
Taking to Facebook, ODM Communications Director Philip Etale claimed that Omanga's move was evidence that the Tangatanga faction lacked popular support.
"This is a clear confirmation that Tangatanga has no public following and that all along they have been living a lie by hiring and importing crowds to venues," Etale wrote.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, January 23, however, Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, a vocal Ruto ally, dismissed ODM's assertions reiterating that the motive behind the delegations was to involve all Kenyans and unite the country.
"ODM should relax. If you ferry people it does not mean they are your supporters, we just want to unite all Kenyans," Barasa told this writer.
Barasa further noted he was aware some leaders were already at the coast to mobilise citizens but clarified reports that he was among them, stating he was in Mumias contrary to a report published in a local daily.
