President Uhuru Kenyatta will, after all, retire in 2022 after months of speculation about his future, with a section of politicians urging him to stay on.
By 2022, Uhuru will be just 60 and will be the first Kenyan president to retire at a slightly younger age than his predecessors.
In October, Uhuru reiterated that he was not interested to stay around despite pressure from a section of his confidants.
"I will go home when that time comes. I have no interest in staying around and that is a promise. I am not interested in creating a position for myself," he said, defending BBI team.
A number of people had speculated that Uhuru could persuade the Building Bridges Initiative team to create an executive Prime Minister post which he would be eligible for.
In the report tabled by the team, the PM post is much weaker than the current powers Uhuru enjoys.
“Within a set number of days following the summoning of Parliament after an election, the President shall appoint as Prime Minister, an elected Member of the National Assembly from a political party having the majority of members in the National Assembly or, if no political party has the majority, one who appears to have the support of the majority of MPs,” the team recommends.
It will be much unlikely that Uhuru would go for the post, which is an outright demotion. Should the proposal go through, the PM would be nominated by the President and stamped by Parliament.
Importantly, the PM will be subject to dismissal by the two entities. Should Uhuru want to go for it, he must be elected as MP, something which is unlikely given the executive position he has served.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech agrees that the head of state is now headed to permanent retirement based on the BBI recommendations.
“It is a done deal now that the President will not be contesting again. We believe he wants a process that is less divisive and seeking another office, among other things, would have sharply divided the country,” he said.