By Wanja Waweru
The former Gatundu North Member of Parliament, Ann Wanjiku Wa Kibe, ignited an online discussion by recalling humorous nicknames given to Building Bridges Initiative backers. (BBI).
In order to study and modify the present constitution, former president Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga launched the BBI project in 2018.Although the Supreme Court later shot it down, it led to a heated political debate that divided the country.
In her post on Facebook, Wa Kibe posed the question, “Apart from kuitwa tukunia, ni matusi ingine gani unakumbuka wale tulikua tunasupport BBI tuliekelewa?” (Apart from being called sacks of cereals, what other insults do you remember us, the BBI supporters, being called?).”
Tukunia is a Kikuyu name referring to sacks of cereals.
Her post generated a hot debate, with some of her fans reminiscing about the names they were called.
Former Nyeri town MP Wambugu Ngunjiri replied with “#Ngati” (referring to a mean person). The BBI debate led to the formation of two rival political factions: Kieleweke, siding with President Kenyatta and Odinga, and Tangatanga, led by William Ruto, who was then the Deputy President.
The BBI controversy had a big impact on the general elections of 2022, with some candidates attributing their defeat to the initiative. Elijah Njoroge, also known as Kururia, ran as an independent and defeated Wa Kibe for the seat.
She ran for reelection as a Jubilee party candidate. Also defeated by Duncan Mathenge of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), a party led by Mr. Wambugu Ngunjiri lost his seat.
The charges that Kenyatta did not want to cede control were at the heart of the BBI debate. He supported the plan nevertheless, saying that it aimed to correct historical wrongs, encourage power-sharing between rival ethnic groups, and provide a platform for a fair allocation of resources.
The proposition was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in May 2021 due to the fact that a serving head of state was not supposed to initiate the discussion to amend the Constitution.
