ODM Memorandum Presented to Steering Committee on Implementation of Building Bridges Initiative

As a party we remain cognizant of the fact that this process is a consultative give and take and that no one party or individual can bulldoze the discussion or the outcome. We believe in the power of persuasion and that this dialogue is an opportunity for us to lay out the vision for the future of this country hoping that our countrymen will buy into our point of view. We however are also open to being persuaded for we do not hold monopoly of ideas.

The opportunity before us is one of a lifetime and all Kenyans must be allowed to ventilate on the issues before us. It is an acknowledged fact that the Kenyan dream was dead or dying by the time our two leaders HE Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta shook hands so that what we are engaged in is akin to a postmortem to determine the cause of death. A postmortem as you know is not a pretty sight, but indeed for us to determine what ailed the patient we must have an honest engagement. For a wound to heal, it must be cauterized and all the puss squeezed out. It would be a wasted opportunity if we peppered over long standing grievances in the name of political correctness.

We also wish to state categorically that as a party we are bold enough to develop and run our political agenda publicly without having to hide behind any other processes. We are in the BBI process solely to ensure a united country that will not fall back into the abys we have so painfully pulled ourselves from.

Having now dissected the report we are largely happy because many of the recommendations therein reflect our thinking. We however would like to propose a few improvements here and there as contained in this Memorandum