Orange Democratic Movement(ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday shed light on the role former President Uhuru Kenyatta played in fostering collaboration between himself and President William Ruto during the Gen Z revolution in the country.
Speaking at the funeral of Mzee Chirchir Masit, the father to former IEBC commissioner Irene Masit, Raila revealed that it was Kenyatta who initiated the discussions that led to a dialogue aimed at addressing concerns raised by Kenya’s youth, particularly the Gen Z generation following the recent anti-government demonstrations.
“When the country was burning, former President Kenyatta called me and asked me to reach out to President Ruto to find a solution to the issues being raised by Gen Zs,” Odinga stated.
“We talked, and I told him my thoughts and how to deal with the situation.”
Raila emphasized that while he played a role in the discussions, he remained outside the government structure and clarified that there was never an agreement to form a coalition government with President Ruto.
“I am not in government. We never agreed with Ruto that we should have a coalition government. He requested me to help him identify people from my side to serve in his administration. I did exactly that,” he added.
The remarks by the Azimio la Umoja leader come at a time when there has been widespread speculation about the nature of the relationship between the two political figures after key leaders in the opposition outfit were appointed to lucrative government dockets.
Raila’s comments suggest that the collaboration was more about stabilizing the nation rather than any formal political alliance.
“I am confident we shall move forward as a nation,” Raila stated, expressing optimism about the future of Kenya’s political landscape despite the challenges that have arisen.
President Ruto appointed Ali Hassan Joho as the Cabinet Secretary in the Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Ministry, Wycliffe Oparanya to the MSMEs docket, John Mbadi to the Treasury and Opiyo Wandayi to the Ministry of Energy. All of them were top guns in Raila’s ODM party.
The head of state defended the move, saying he was creating a broad-based government to bring everybody on board despite their political affiliations.
Uhuru Kenyatta’s shadow continues to loom large in the country’s political playing field two years after he handed power.
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