Raila’s Swift Reply to Ruto’s Meeting Call
Wednesday, July 26, Azimio leader Raila Odinga responded to President William Ruto’s appeal for a ceasefire by stating that the Head of State could not be trusted.
Raila, speaking to Al Jazeera at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, questioned why the Head of State chose to extend the invitation through social media channels as opposed to formal channels.
“The President is being irreverent. If he desired to meet with me, he would not have sent a social media invitation.
“He is aware of my address, telephone number, and every other detail. He is essentially playing pranks. During the interview, the former prime minister commented, “It’s almost as if he’s engaging in some form of public relations.”
The leader of Azimio reaffirmed his earlier claims that Ruto ignored his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu when she visited Kenya at the government’s invitation.
“Yesterday, I mentioned that two weeks ago, the President of Tanzania, Suluhu Hassan, came to Kenya at his invitation and spent two days here to bring us together,” he said, adding that Suluhu intended to serve as a mediator between the two leaders.
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Raila disclosed that Suluhu was disgraced by the President’s refusal to meet her after she arrived in Kenya. “Had he been serious about negotiations, we would have met at that time and begun this discussion,” he added.
Raila, while accusing Ruto of insincerity, stated that his willingness to engage in dialogue was demonstrated by his appointment of members to participate in the bipartisan parliamentary discussions.
According to Raila, the Head of State refused to participate in the negotiations after observing that the country was at peace as a result of the opposition’s decision to end nationwide demonstrations.
Raila disclosed that the opposition’s protests were intended to shake Ruto out of his denial that the country was experiencing an economic crisis. He vehemently denied his desire for government office.
President Ruto stated on Tuesday, July 25 that he was willing to meet with Raila individually to resolve the current political impasse.
In the interview, Raila was evasive about whether he would accept the invitation. Raila pledged to continue civil disobedience in an earlier statement.
Raila’s Swift Reply to Ruto’s Meeting Call
