Why Raila & Ruto Fell Out After King Charles’ Visit – Jeremiah Kioni
Jeremiah Kioni, secretary general of Jubilee, has asserted that the dispute between opposition leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto intensified following the conclusion of King Charles III’s visit to Kenya.
Kioni asserts that the opposition discerned that the government had devised a meticulously orchestrated strategy to subdue the opposition to demonstrate national unity.
Since the opposition’s demands, including a reduction in the cost of living, went unfulfilled, the government, however, benefited from what Kioni deemed a public relations ploy.
This explains the camaraderie observed between Raila and Ruto on Tuesday, October 31 at State House during the State Banquet hosted in honor of King Charles.
A similar occurrence transpired at the Kenya Climate Summit at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC), where Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua cordially welcomed Raila as a distinguished guest.
The inaugural African summit, which devised strategies to alleviate the impacts of climate change in advance of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) at Expo City Dubai, was attended by more than seventeen heads of state.
“They (government) were very clear in their mind what they wanted. There was a team of 15 African leaders who were coming into the country before, and they needed us to have a calm country to give the perception that all was well in Kenya.
“We had the Climate Change African summit and then the King. These were issues where they needed to give the impression that all is well and we are legitimately elected as leaders of the country,” Kioni told NTV on Friday.
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Additionally, he claimed that President Ruto consented to the bipartisan discussions facilitated by the National Dialogue Committee to control the opposition before the official visits of prominent world leaders.
Kioni steadfastly maintained that the negotiations spearheaded by Kenya Kwanza’s Kimani Ichung’wah (a Kikuyu MP and majority leader of the National Assembly) and former Vice President and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka were a futile investment of time.
He alleged that the dialogue’s primary objective was to divert the opposition’s attention away from the government’s lack of accountability. During the three months that the negotiations were in progress, the government allegedly embezzled funds, as evidenced by the Ksh6 billion edible oil controversies under the Ministries of Energy and Trade, respectively, and the contentious government-to-government Saudi oil deal.
“Kenya Kwanza was all along managing Azimio and that the committee sessions were a waste of time
“We got into the discussions, and they are dilly-dallying. They didn’t have an interest in dealing with the interim measures. It was a question of what meetings we would have, the programs, and the work plan. They were asking about issues that were meant to delay the process,” Kioni, a close ally of Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, claimed.
Gachagua Concurs That Talks Are Useless
Gachagua asserted in August 2023 that Raila was attempting to negotiate an agreement with Ruto through a back door while pressuring Kalonzo to engage in fruitless bipartisan talks. As stated by Gachagua, the agreement that has not been disclosed was mediated in Mombasa.
“Raila looked for Ruto the other day, and he came without Kalonzo. He only spoke for himself, his kids, and his people. He has now sent Kalonzo to the talks where the agenda does not address the issue of Ukambani. Nothing will come out of those talks.
“It is a waste of time. I’m telling you that as the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya,” Gachagua stated at the funeral of the mother of Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka (Kawaya).
Raila Back to the Drawing Board
Kioni maintained that the opposition, as it has assumed for months, desires that the Kenya Kwanza administration address the cost of living.
“If you were to sleep hungry today, prepare to sleep hungry tomorrow too. There is nothing that these guys are ready to address,” he warned.
Raila and his cohort, which includes Martha Karua, the leader of the Narc-Kenya party, and Musyoka, increased their media appearances at the beginning of this month to expose the government’s disregard for the concerns of ordinary Kenyans.
In various press releases and media interviews, the opposition alluded to the possibility of rearranging demonstrations if bipartisan negotiations failed.
“Even if we are transported to heaven through killings during demonstrations, NARC Kenya and the people of Kenya are saying that should the talks fail us because they look like they are failing, we shall not forgo our rights, and we shall go back to the streets if necessary.
“We are saying no to intimidation and calling upon Kenyans to join and hold hands so that we restore sanity in our nation,” Karua stated while speaking at the NARC Kenya party headquarters on Thursday, October 16.
Raila, on the other hand, declared that the opposition would postpone any plans to organize further demonstrations until the conclusion of the negotiations.
However, Kioni asserts that protest plans were abandoned because the opposition deemed them to be expensive and perilous. Additionally, it is apprehensive about the fatalities that were observed during the nationwide protests.
Raila-Ruto Dossier. Does This Attest the Alleged Fallout
Raila asserted on Thursday, November 16th, that Ruto assisted domestic firms in evading the 30% corporate tax by utilizing the government-to-government oil agreement. Additionally, he levied allegations against Arab Energy, Galana Oil Kenya Ltd., and Oryx Energies Kenya Limited, all based in Kenya, alleging that they acquired the petroleum at a reduced cost and resold it at a premium.
Selected to supply oil in Kenya, the three corporations procured the commodity in Shillings to safeguard against its depreciation against the dollar.
This is the first dossier that Raila has compiled against Ruto since his defeat to the incumbent president in the August 2022 general election.
Ruto, in response, struck back and accused the opposition of attempting to fabricate a scandal within his administration. Ruto maintained that the transaction was lawful and that his administration was a crusader against corruption.
“I want to assure them [the Opposition] that the fishing they are doing for a scandal in this administration, they are not about to succeed,” the President stated, as quoted by State House, in a statement sent to PoliticalPulseChat.
Why Raila & Ruto Fell Out After King Charles’ Visit – Jeremiah Kioni
