Deputy President William Ruto on Friday hosted President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga for a lunch at his Karen residence in Nairobi.
Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen was also present. It was not immediately clear whether the lunch was planned or not.
The lunch came shortly after the leaders attended the requiem mass of former Maendeleo ya Wanawake Chair Jane Kiano at ACK St Francis Church in Karen.
In a Twitter post, Mr Ruto said he was consulting with his boss (Mr Kenyatta) on “matters of development and unity”.
This is the first time that Mr Ruto is formally hosting the President and Mr Odinga since the March 9 handshake which changed the political relationship between the two leaders.
During their meeting early this year, President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga pledged to “stand together” to pursue the country’s shared prosperity agenda and asked Kenyans and leaders to embrace their rights and responsibilities.
They further expressed their desire to set aside their differences and rebuild the nation and make it responsive to the urgent need for prosperity, fairness and dignity for all Kenyans.
“The two leaders have been competitors and even used hard language against each other at times, but they have always been friends and respected one another as individuals and leaders,” a statement read then by Mr Odinga said.
NEGATIVE
They regretted that Kenya was being defined internationally by its negative politics, pointing out that violence and corruption are the main characteristics by which Kenyans are defined by the international community.
“There are changes that are required in our system of governance for us to succeed and we have been in the process of reform to deal with them for the past 20 years,” Mr Odinga added.
“Yet, despite all the reforms, we continue to have deep and bitter disagreements. Ethnic antagonism and divisive political competition have become a way of life.”
Source-nation.co.ke
DP Ruto hosts President Kenyatta, Raila Odinga for lunch in Karen
