Anthony Mwangi @PeopleDailyKe
A statement by Deputy President William Ruto that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga approached him four times for talks prior to the “Handshake” has yet again elicited heated debate with Opposition leaders saying the claims were a misrepresentation of facts.
Ruto said during a live interview on K24 TV on Sunday night that the Opposition leader called him several times seeking talks but he declined.
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“After the elections, Raila approached me not once, not twice but four times. I informed my boss the President that Raila was interested in talking to me,” said an otherwise calm Ruto.
He said that he told the Opposition leader that there was nothing to discuss with him but if any talks were to take place, it had to be between the party leadership.
But Opposition leaders we talked to dismissed Ruto’s assertions, terming the remarks a “straight lie” which he makes to allegedly hoodwink Kenyans that he was part of the current political set up.
Misleading info
National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohammed, who claims he was part of of the talks that led to the Handshake, laughed off the claims saying that Ruto’s lies were now getting out of hand.
“Ruto has formed a tendency of misleading Kenyans whenever given a chance; it has become too much, Raila never sought to talk with him on any government arrangement,” said Junet.
Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma said Ruto was not aware of the Handshake and was just playing politics.
“Some of us are closer to President Uhuru and Raila than Ruto, he should desist from misleading Kenyans,” Kaluma said in an interview.
His reaction after the Handshake confirmed his surprise. He has been very consistent in his opposition to the Handshake. How can he claim to have been aware of something he has constantly fought?” asked Kaluma.
Asked by the host Anne Kiguta whether he supports the Handshake, Ruto said he was aware of it even before it took place.
“You said you will not allow Raila to break your party. How then can you claim to support the Handshake?” Kiguta asked.
Ruto, however, slugged the allegations saying when President Uhuru Kenyatta engaged Raila, he put him in the loop.
“I was aware, not necessarily because it was necessary, but President Uhuru being the gentleman he is, informed me there was a discussion with the leader of Opposition on how to lower the political temperatures and get people to work together, so that we can deliver to the people of Kenya our Big Four programme and the Jubilee manifesto,” revealed the DP.
Ruto stated that bringing the country together was at the heart of the Jubilee philosophy and was not born with the Handshake.
“When we formed Jubilee Party our primary aim was not to win the election but was to bring communities together, bring harmony and to get communities to work together and to build the bridges of friendship and brotherhood and unity in the country. We have made tremendous progress in this respect,” Ruto clarified.
The Handshake, he said is actually an extension of the Jubilee philosophy of uniting all Kenyans.
Asked if he thought that the Opposition still exists in the country, Ruto said he was not sure.
“Do we have an Opposition? Kiguta asked.
“Am not sure, because if we had one, you would not be asking that question,” Ruto responded.
The DP warned that the country should never contemplate having a single party arrangement since it would amount to taking to the old dark days of incompetence and impunity, adding that by doing so, the country would be walking back straight into dictatorship.
In an apparent reference to a recent proposal by former Head of Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura, Ruto said he found the suggestion of sharing power after an election ridiculous as it would drive the country towards a single-party political system.
Lack of structures in the country’s governance has resulted in the current situation whereby the Opposition seems not to exist, he noted.
“That tells you that former Opposition led by Raila and other Opposition leaders are at the moment not in the Opposition and they are somewhere in between,” Ruto said.
Public interest
The Deputy President posited that in future when elections are held, the country must find a mechanism through which there are a clear winner and loser.
Said Ruto: “What we should do is to make sure that the Opposition is well structured. Opposition is currently stranded for lack of proper office.”
The country, he added, should ensure the Opposition has a clear mandate and infrastructure and support to carry out their duty as an Opposition to make sure that whoever is in government is held to account on pledges they make on expenditure of public resources, on use of public office and on all the matters which are of public interest.
“What has weakened our Opposition today is the fact that the loser has no clear office. We do not require a referendum to enforce this,” he added.
The country’s electoral system, Ruto said, lacks proper infrastructure for the leaders of Opposition to take up their responsibilities for them to hold their position in parliament so as to hold the government in power to account.
