Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has predicted doom for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum bid being pushed by forces allied to ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Raila, who jointly formed the BBI taskforce with President Uhuru Kenyatta in March last year, has been saying that the team will propose constitutional changes for a better Kenya.
But Ngunyi says that the referendum bid is just another of Raila's survival tactics, especially now that he is appearing to be drawing closer to dropping off the active political arena.
However, according to the controversial commentator, the push which also enjoys Uhuru's backing will flatly fail and if that happens, it will be the end of Raila's politics.
“What if the referendum fails? Because from where I sit, it will flatly flop. It will go down with him," he told the Sunday Standard, amid Raila's intense lobbying for a referendum.
This is as the BBI team is expected to table a report with its findings before the two leaders on October, which Raila has hinted could include proposals for an expanded government.
And while Ngunyi observes that the referendum could result in the end of Raila, Ugunja MP and a close ally of the former Premier Opiyo Wandayi says that Raila is safe.
"Where is the problem? Raila has not changed and his political moves are well calculated,” he told the paper, insinuating that the leader has his cards well arranged.
Like Ngunyi, forces allied to Deputy President William Ruto have also poked holes into the referendum bid, terming it a plot to create positions for a few election losers.