Allies Encourage Ruto Not To Shake Hands With Raila During The Machakos Meeting

On Sunday, Kenya Kwanza coalition allies increased their pressure on President William Ruto to defy Raila Odinga’s demand for a handshake agreement.

The leaders warned that shaking hands with Raila would be suicide during a service of thanksgiving organized by United Clergy at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos town. The opposition, according to MPs Vincent Musyoka (Mwala), Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East), Caleb Mule (Machakos Town), ex-Gov. Kivutha Kibwana of Makueni, and ex-Sen. David Musila of Kitui, was not sincere in its demands.

“We at Kenya Kwanza ask the president to decline any invitation to a handshake between Raila and him because we are concerned about the likelihood of such a meeting. We are well aware of how badly the previous handshake damaged our nation and made some leaders targets, Mbai stated.

“Be it as it may, they (the opposition) can continue with their street demonstrations if they do not want to participate in sincere, bipartisan discussions, but it should sink in to them that we do not want any handshake with them,” he continued.

Mbai asked the Kamba people to free themselves from what he called political enslavement while making an apparent allusion to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who has been supporting Raila’s calls for widespread protests.

“Ukambani’s issue is a lack of competent political leadership. It’s time to end the practice of following one person, said Mbai.

Musila mirrored his comments when he stated that the Akamba would not be persuaded politically to pursue a “lost cause.”

“Due to politics of hero worship, we as a community have stayed in opposition for the past ten years. But as of right now, I can state without any hesitation that this community is ready for improved governance.

Musila emphasized that a handshake will only enrich a small number of politicians and not improve the situation of millions of Kenyans. The two teams chosen to represent the administration and the opposition, according to Prof. Kibwana, should only concentrate on matters that have an impact on the average person. He charged that the opposition’s pursuit of justice was not sincere.

“The silent majority advises that we handle problems in a humble and peaceful manner. President Uhuru Kenyatta would not have given the reins of power to Ruto if he had not been lawfully elected president. We are recommending that civic society be included in the talks between the two parties,” he stated.

The UDA organizing secretary and Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka claimed that the opposition was determined to stir up trouble by making unreasonable demands.

“The arguments put out by the opposition are completely false. The IEBC servers’ keys, which they demand be unlocked as a need for the protests to end, are not kept by the president.