The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has suffered blow after its candidate Omar Boga was defeated in the Msambweni by election by Independent Candidate Feisal Abadala.
While campaigning in the constituency last week, ODM Party leader Raila Odinga noted that the mini poll was a litmus test for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum set for 2021.
Odinga argued that losing the contest would mean a tough time for the BBI referendum.
“If we fail here as ODM, it means BBI will have a problem,” Raila said.
On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, Msambweni residents took to the poll and against all odds, overwhelmingly elected Feisal Abdala to be their new legislator.
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Feisal enjoyed the backing of Deputy President William Ruto and his hustler brigade who’ve been vocal in opposing the BBI referendum.
Judging by the Msambweni outcome, one can safely conclude that Ruto and his team are making inroads in opposition strongholds and appealing to Kenyans from across the country with their hustler philosophy.
From the outcome, it is clear that those opposing the BBI could give the proponents a run for their money if consensus is not reached before the referendum date.
At the moment, a good number of Kenyans have already expressed opposition to the document claiming that it does not focus on the needs of the local mwananchi.
With good leadership and effective messaging on their hustler ideology as witnessed in Msambweni, the anti-BBI team is clearly a force to reckon with and will surely pose a threat to the BBI referendum.
As it stands, the handshake team may possibly reach out to the DP and his team to deliberate on consensus around the BBI document, in a bid to avoid being humiliated come June 2021, when the referendum is projected to be held.
