BBI Launch: DP Ruto Heckled at Bomas of Kenya as He Pokes Holes in BBI Report

Deputy President William Ruto was heckled by the audience during the launch of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report at the Bomas of Kenya on Monday.

This was after he declared he would continue with his initiative in which he has been donating wheelbarrows to Kenyans as a way of empowering them.

Ruto was responding to the youth leader, Alex Matere who earlier gave a speech at the event, terming the wheelbarrow as a 16th-century invention that is out of its depth in the current time.

“The 16th-century inventions cannot be used to solve the challenges of the 21st century,” said Matere.

While he agreed the wheelbarrow was a 16th-century invention, Ruto stated that it is still handy to date and will continue donating the tool to ‘hustlers’, something that did not go well with the delegates who shouted him down, asking him to “respect the president.”

In his speech, Ruto expressed his reservations against the BBI report and went on to highlight some of the recommendations he feels do not mean well for Kenyans.

He took issue with the proposal to allow political parties to participate in the appointment of IEBC commissioners, saying players cannot be allowed to choose who will referee their match.

“How fare will a league be, where a referee is appointed by teams, and not all the teams but some teams? unless you tell me that it is okay for some teams to appoint the referee…and if that is what you are saying, I have my reservation.”

Ruto also disagreed with the proposed creation of an independent office of the Judiciary Ombudsman, terming it as an affront to the independence of the Judiciary.

“Having an ombudsman appointed by the Executive into the Judiciary is a derogation from the independence of the institution,” he said.

He also questioned the proposal to create a police council chaired by a Cabinet Secretary, saying it amounts to political interference. 

“To recommend that we will have a police council, chaired by a CS is actually a derogation from the independence of the police,” said Ruto.