IN PICTURES: 57th Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo National Stadium

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 12 – President Uhuru Kenyatta is lead the nation in marking the 57^th independence anniversary at the Nyayo National Stadium where he will deliver his eighth Jamhuri day speech since he assumed office in 2013.

President Kenyatta arrives at the Nyayo National Stadium for Jamhuri Day celebrations/PSCU

President Kenyatta’s address on Saturday comes days after a constitutional review process he co-leads with ODM leader Raila Odinga enters a crucial stage after 4.4 million validation signatures were presented to the national poll agency for verification.

The process which has exposed rifts both within the ruling party and opposition outfits has been among President Kenyatta’s legacy programs, the Head of State saying constitution review under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) will herald national unity and inclusivity.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is required to verify that the law review process enjoys the support of at least 1 million registered voters before the referendum Bill if forwarded to the 47 county assemblies.

At least 24 county legislative bodies will have to adopt the Bill before it is presented to the two Chambers of Parliament – the National Assembly and the Senate – where if accepted by a simple majority, the Bill will qualify for a referendum.

Deputy President William Ruto has recently backtracked on his support for the document, calling for further consensus building despite a further review of the document post October 26 Bomas conference where the initial Bill was presented.

Among contentious issues dropped post-Bomas was the allocation of IEBC commissioner slots to two dominant political parties.

President Kenyatta is also expected to address the nation on the delivery of his Big IV development masterplan which includes; universal healthcare, manufacturing, affordable housing and food security.

The nation also faces uncertainty over COVID-19 which has so far claimed over 1,500 lives. Kenya is also yet to unveil its plans to roll out a vaccination program with six nations having so far approved the administration of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.