US sends top officials to broker Raila, Ruto handshake

By , K24 Digital
On Sat, 1 Apr, 2023 11:11 | 2 mins read
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga (L) and Deputy President William Ruto (R). [PHOTO | FILE]
Azimio leader Raila Odinga (L) and President William Ruto (R). PHOTOs/File
Declaimer: This article was meant for April Fool’s Day. Were you fooled?

A high-powered delegation has been dispatched to Nairobi by the United States government in an attempt to have President William Ruto and the opposition leader Raila Odinga work together.

This comes at a time when Raila is leading mass action protests against Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government over a number of issues including the recruitment of IEBC commissioners, the cost of living and a push to open the IEBC server in a bid to establish the winner of the 2022 general elections after Ruto was declared the president.

In a move that, if successful, could interfere with the current political landscape, the US delegation is reported to have quietly jetted in the country last night and hopes to meet the two before flying back.

The move comes just days after both Raila and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met United States Senator for Delaware Chris Coons in Nairobi.

“This morning, I hosted a delegation from the US led by Senator for Delaware, Christopher Andrew Coons for consultations towards strengthening ties between the two nations, especially in trade, security, democracy, among other key issues of mutual interest,” Gachagua tweeted on Wednesday, March 29.

On his part, Raila asserted that Croon paid him a courtesy call to discuss current political developments in the country and the importance of upholding the constitution and the rule of law.

"Had a great meeting this evening with US Senator Chris Coons and his delegation to discuss political developments in our country. We had a fruitful discussion on the importance of upholding the constitution and the rule of law in all activities, and agreed to keep the channels of communication open," Raila posted on his official social media platforms.

Croon is credited for engineering the handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Azimio leader Raila Odinga in 2018.

Rigathi has maintained that there will be no discussion between Raila and Ruto about the running of the country’s government.

While K24 Digital did not immediately establish the exact end game for the planned talks, reports indicate that, the Joe Biden-led administration is reported to have developed concerns over their hardline positions against each other.

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