President William Ruto’s Senior Advisor in the Council of Economic Advisors, based at State House, Moses Kuria, has urged a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s constitution.
Taking to his official X account on the night of Monday, June 30, 2025, the former Cabinet Secretary argued that decades of political “handshakes” have failed to secure lasting peace and stability.
Kuria on political handshakes
In his statement, Kuria outlined a series of pivotal political alliances since 1993, beginning with the cooperation between former President Daniel Arap Moi and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, followed by the 1999 KANU-NDP merger under Moi and Raila Odinga, the 2008 Nusu Mkate Grand Coalition between former President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, the 2018 handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, and the 2024 broad-based pact between President William Ruto and Raila Odinga.
These coalitions, Kuria contends, have served as temporary fixes to avert crises but lack the structural depth to ensure enduring national harmony.
“1. Daniel Arap Moi with Jaramogi – 1993 Cooperation, 2. Daniel Arap Moi with Raila Odinga – 1999 Merger of KANU and NDP, 3. Mwai Kibaki with Raila Odinga – 2008 Nusu Mkate Grand Coalition, 4. Uhuru Kenyatta with Raila Odinga – 2018 Handshake, 5. William Ruto with Raila Odinga – 2024 Broad-based. We are avoiding the inevitable. We need a constitutional dispensation that will guarantee Kenya long-term sustainable peace and stability without these personal deals,” Kuria stated.
Moses Kuria on BBI
A key element of Kuria’s argument is the reference to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a constitutional reform effort launched in 2018 after the Kenyatta-Odinga handshake.
Intended to tackle electoral justice, devolution, and unity, BBI was deemed unconstitutional by the Kenyan Supreme Court in March 2022 due to inadequate public participation and presidential overreach in its initiation.
Kuria’s call to “pick from where BBI failed” suggests a need to revive these reforms with greater inclusivity.
“We need to pick up from where BBI failed. Only for those who love Kenya. Only for those who are worried like I am about the future of our children,” he stated.
Kuria’s call comes as the country continues to witness anti-government protests despite Raila striking a deal with Ruto.
