Former statehouse advisor Moses Kuria has issued a scathing critique of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) process, declaring it a failure and predicting its collapse, mirroring that of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
In a statement on his social media platform X on Tuesday, the outspoken CS shattered his own hope that the bipartisan talks would lead to a national referendum, likely to be held alongside the 2027 General Elections.
Kuria described Kenya’s political divisions as a “malignant tumour” that temporary political fixes—like the famous “Handshake” and “broad-based” government initiatives—have failed to cure, only serving as a temporary “anaesthesia.”
His most damning criticism was reserved for the finalization of the NADCO report, which he witnessed on Monday. He characterized the agreement not as a genuine national compact but as a “dowry paid by UDA to ODM.”
Sadly what I saw yesterday was an otherwise promising national moment being reduced to a dowry paid by UDA to ODM. Not even other constituent parties in both Azimio and Kenya Kwanza were consulted,” Kuria claimed.Suggesting the deal was struck exclusively between President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
This lack of inclusivity, he argued, places the process on a “trodden path littered with corpses like BBI,” the costly constitutional amendment effort that was ultimately nullified by the courts.
In a grim forecast, Kuria concluded, “The last chapter of NADCO will be a replica of BBI,” signalling a belief that the report is destined for legal and political oblivion.
The CS’s remarks expose significant fissures within the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and cast a shadow over the future of the NADCO report, which is expected to be formally unveiled and submitted to Parliament soon.
