Why the BBI process cannot, and should not, be rushed

Anyone who has watched the English Premier League this season knows that two types of teams are failing.

There are teams who sit back far too deep and invite pressure. They are invariably taken apart at one point and once they are losing, they rarely have a Plan B to suddenly get back into the front foot.

And there are teams that are rushing around and needlessly chasing the ball, getting pulled out of position and easily getting picked apart by more astute teams.

The most successful teams in football are those that have a carefully laid out strategy.

Modern football has become a very strategic game and one can see this by the pads of diagrams that a substitute is treated to by their coaching staff before they enter the field of play.

If football has progressed to the point that every movement is carefully thought out and nothing is left to chance, how much more so governance.

The recent appointment of a 14-member team to oversee the implementation of the Building Bridges Initiative report by President Uhuru Kenyatta is part of a well-executed plan.

The BBI has never been a rushed affair simply to gain quick headlines and good will for the principals involved.

Its genesis, in the famous handshake, was obviously not an instant moment in time but a result of careful negotiations behind the scenes.

It is certain that there was some trepidation and tension that needed to be carefully managed, and too many expectations or too little substance would have meant the initiative would have been dead on arrival.

The BBI that resulted from the handshake was another example of a carefully calibrated process.

First the terms of reference, the issues and national challenges to be considered and who would be members of the team.

This is even before the structural, procedural and bureaucratic issues that needed to be carefully ascertained.

The result was a national undertaking the likes of which Kenya has never seen. The public involvement was unprecedented and tremendous insight was gained into what the people wanted, and, moreover, expected.

The BBI Report released at the end of last year was broad, holistic and revolutionary.

It found suggested solutions for many of our nation’s ills and great challenges. The public did not let the initiative down with its broad-thinking and innovation.

The positive reaction to the BBI Report caught a lot of people off guard. Some who had previously been its biggest critics, suddenly after putting their finger in the air to check the public mood became its greatest cheerleaders.

These turncoats are predictably now at the forefront of trying to rush the process.

Some have immediately called for its legal interpretation through parliament, ridding the people of the opportunity for oversight.

Some have called for a referendum as soon as possible. Thankfully, steadier heads are prevailing.

President Kenyatta wants the people to have further input before any further thoughts on execution.

That is why he has appointed a 14-member committee that is expected to oversee implementation of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report.

The team will return to the public and in discussions and consultations with citizens, civil society, religious and cultural leaders, the private sector, and other experts, will amend and revise the report accordingly.

“The Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee shall be to: propose administrative, policy, statutory or constitutional changes that may be necessary for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Task Force Report, taking into account any relevant contributions made during the validation period,” reads the statement on the formation of the committee.

The BBI has come so far from its humble beginnings and people are rightly expecting that it will have a profoundly positive effect of how Kenya will look in the future.

It is a gargantuan task and needs to be fulfilled in the same way that it began.

The process should be continued without rushing or being open-ended.

Like Premier League tacticians, there needs to be a carefully laid out strategy that combines an understanding of all opposition and a need to be on the front foot.

President Kenyatta has led a transparent process whose development and goals are understood by those involved in its undertaking.

That is the way the BBI will win a brighter future for Kenya.