Raila Odinga, leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, has clarified that there is no handshake agreement between him and President William Ruto. Speaking at the funeral of Chirchir Masit in Chepkorio, Elgeyo Marakwet County, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, Raila explained that while he considers President Ruto a friend, their recent discussions were focused solely on how to end the anti-government protests in the country. Chirchir Masit was the father of former IEBC commissioner Irene Masit.
“I am not part of the government. We never reached an agreement with Ruto to form a coalition government. He simply asked me to recommend individuals from my side to serve in his administration, which I did. I am confident that we can move forward as a nation,” Raila stated.
Raila also mentioned that former President Uhuru Kenyatta had expressed concern over the ongoing Gen Z protests, warning that the country was on the verge of collapse due to the demonstrations.
“When the country was in turmoil, former President Uhuru Kenyatta called me and urged me to reach out to President Ruto to find a solution to the issues being raised by the Gen Z protesters. We discussed the situation, and I shared my thoughts on how to address it,” Raila added. “Uhuru emphasized that if the country went down, we would have no other nation.”
Raila recalled that after his phone conversation with President Ruto, they agreed to meet and discuss the security situation.
During his remarks, the ODM leader acknowledged that the concerns raised by the youth, particularly Gen Zs, were valid, particularly regarding corruption and the high cost of living.
“When we spoke, I told Ruto that some of the people he appointed to his government, especially in the Cabinet, were not serving the country effectively and needed to be removed,” Raila said.
Raila further revealed that he also discussed the performance of certain principal secretaries with the president, noting that they were not meeting the expectations of the Kenyan people.
These comments come amid accusations that Raila had entered into a handshake agreement with President William Ruto after four ODM leaders were appointed as cabinet secretaries in the Kenya Kwanza government.
