DP William Ruto Rejects Calls to Lead NO Campaigns in BBI Referendum

Deputy President William Ruto has rejected calls to lead the ‘NO’ campaigns in the impending Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum.

Speaking on Sunday, Ruto said he has no intention of leading the team opposed to the proposed constitutional amendments and will continue to push for a non-contested referendum.

He accused BBI proponents of trying to push him into declaring a NO campaign against BBI.

“Listen to the merit of what we are saying. Do not dare us to a contest which we are not interested in. We want a progressive Constitution,” Ruto said.

“We are not available for a competition, those threatening us and daring us to be in the NO formation are wasting their time,” he added.

The DP stressed that it is possible to hold the referendum together with the 2022 general election in a bid to save taxpayers' funds.

He also reiterated his call for a multiple-choice referendum where voters will have an opportunity to vote on specific issues.

“The Election’s Act already provides that we can have a referendum with either one question if we only one issue or multiple questions if we have more than one issue. And because we have more than one issue in this referendum… we should have a multiple-choice referendum, and that is what we are asking. So that Kenyans can express themselves and make choices.”

He spoke at Bishop Margaret Wanjiru’s Jesus is Alive Ministries church in Nairobi, where he presided over a fundraiser.