A section of Rift Valley MPs held a night meeting with Deputy President William Ruto and persuaded him to endorse calls for a referendum.
The meeting was held on Friday night at Ruto’s Karen home.
According to sources, close allies of the DP and a think tank behind his 2022 presidential bid were getting concerned that the DP would be a lone ranger if he went against the push.
“We are on top of things. We studied the public and knew it would be rough if we opposed the move,” the source said.
Among those who openly told Ruto to reconsider his position on the issue is Cheragany MP Joshua Kutuny.
“Mr Ruto has to be careful in the way he handles this issue of referendum as it can isolate him from the rest of the people in government and scuttle his efforts to unite the country and solidify his political base ahead of the 2022 elections,” Kutuny said.
The fruits of the Friday meeting were clear on Saturday as the DP took an about turn and said he is ready for a referendum.