President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for the first time since December 12, 2021 appeared together in public.
The two met when they arrived at the parliament building in Nairobi to view the body of the late former president Mwai Kibaki.
However, they did not shake hands but bowed down and showed one another sign.
President Kenyatta and Dr Ruto, formerly close allies, have now turned into political enemies. This is after President Kenyatta publicly stated that he will not support his deputy as his successor when he retires in August this year.
Instead the president decided to support opposition leader Raila Odinga as his successor, a move that goes against the promise he made in the run-up to the 2013 general election.
Apart from Dr Ruto, President Kenyatta also avoided shaking hands with National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and his Senate colleague Kenneth Lusaka who have defied him and decided to support Dr Ruto in the presidential race.
However, President Kenyatta shook hands with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and other high-ranking government officials who arrived at the parliament building to pay their last respects to Mwai Kibaki.
Dr Ruto has been announced as a presidential candidate under the umbrella of the Kenya kwanza. the coalition includes a total of 12 parties.
The main parties in the coalition are the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) led by Dr Ruto, the Amani National Congress (ANC) of Musalia Mudavadi and the Ford Kenya led by Moses Wetang’ula.
The body of former president Kibaki arrived at the parliament building and was carried in an army vehicle escorted by high-ranking soldiers.
Citizens will have the opportunity to view the body and pay their last respects for a period of three days, until Wednesday.
The government announced Friday as a day of rest to allow Kenyans to attend a national funeral service in honor of the late Kibaki.
