Deputy President William Ruto's team has responded to his conspicuous absence at the BBI event at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) on Wednesday, November 26 that was led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Responding to reports that the DP snubbed the event, spokesperson Emmanuel Talam explained that the DP was not invited and followed the proceedings from his official residence on TV.
“Ruto was not invited to the event, if anybody claims to have invited him, let him show you the invitation letter,” Talam stated.
The DP's name was also missing in the programme which fueled reports that he would not be present at the event.
“It is the event organisers who are supposed to tell you whether they invited him, not us explaining why we are not in attendance,” the spokesperson added.
The DP has been at the forefront of calling into question some of the contentious proposals in the document.
After the event, he put out a statement assuring his supporters that his consensus-building approach still stood a chance.
"Even with the signature launch, there is still a real chance at a consensus for a non-divisive referendum that will give Kenyans the opportunity to express themselves without us vs them, win vs lose contest.
"Unity is the strength needed to fight Covid-19 and organise the economy," he stated.
The event saw the commencement of BBI signature collection exercise where Kenyatta and Odinga together with a host of other leaders digitally appended their signatures to the report.
In his speech, President Kenyatta rallied Kenyans to endorse it saying that it would ensure a peaceful country even after the elections.
“The need for a change of our Constitution has been with us for some time. We need to strengthen the 2010 constitution. We are only amending it, not changing it. The first of many to come over time as Kenyans change and evolve,” the Head of State noted.
