President Ruto Extends One-On-One Meeting Invitation to Raila
President William Ruto now says he is willing to meet with opposition leader Raila Odinga one-on-one.
Ruto extended an olive branch to the leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance while proclaiming his departure for a meeting on human capital in Tanzania via Twitter on Tuesday.
“Dear friend Raila Odinga, I am off to Tanzania for a meeting on human capital to synchronize the expansion of employment opportunities on our continent,” Ruto said.
“I will return tomorrow evening, and as you already know, I am available to meet with you whenever it is convenient for you.”
Ruto’s action follows Raila’s claim that the president thwarted efforts to broker a political truce between the Azimio la Umoja coalition and the governing Kenya Kwanza.
Mr. Odinga, speaking to the International Press Association of East Africa on Tuesday, stated that many eminent individuals, both local and international, have unsuccessfully attempted to bring the government and opposition together to defuse the rising tensions between them.
This impasse led to a standoff between Ruto and Odinga, who led weekly anti-government demonstrations that resulted in deaths, injuries, property devastation, and a significant impact on the economy.
Raila claims that Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, who traveled to Nairobi two weeks ago to negotiate a ceasefire, was kept waiting for days.
“The President of Tanzania came here two weeks ago at the invitation of President Ruto to mediate, and she was kept waiting,” says Mr. Odinga.
“She spent two nights in vain at this hotel. Others have tried, but he is the only one who is resisting, so he knows exactly what he desires.”
In the meantime, President Ruto has previously stated that he and Raila will not clasp hands.
Ruto clarified in April during the 9th session of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperatives in Kigali that his willingness to engage in dialogue with Odinga was contingent on resolving the issues that led to the violent and disorderly anti-government demonstrations led by the Azimio opposition coalition.
His call for peace should not be misconstrued as the previous handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Azimio chief, the head of state elaborated, putting his idea of a government without handshakes in context.
“If I state that there will be no salutation, I am aware of the context. Unfortunately for us in Kenya, the handshake has a different meaning, and this is the one I am referring to: “the handshake that brings the opposition and government into a conundrum, a mongrel and an outfit that is undemocratic, unconstitutional, and illegal,” he explained.
His deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, and other Kenya Kwanza members have reiterated Ruto’s sentiments from the time.
Members of Azimio, including Raila, have dismissed rumors that the former prime minister is seeking to join a coalition government.
In May, Raila stated that President Ruto’s government was “too shady” for him to enter into a political truce similar to the one he signed on March 9, 2018, with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Raila stated at the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) hosted by Kenyatta at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi that he consented to bipartisan talks because he did not want a ‘handshake’ with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“Kenya Kwanza must cease losing sleep over a fictitious handshake. “Kenya Kwanza is too shady to embrace, so we have decided to give dialogue a chance,” said the former prime minister whom Kenyatta had selected as his successor.
President Ruto Extends One-On-One Meeting Invitation to Raila
