Uhuru Kenyatta has kept away from active party politics since the end of his term in 2022. But Raila’s statement on Tuesday that the former president asked him to reach out to Ruto to help save Kenya, signals his political influence behind the scenes.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
“When the country was burning, Uhuru called me and told me to talk with Ruto for the country’s sake,” Raila said. “Uhuru said if the country went down, then we [would] have no other country.”
The veteran opposition leader however claimed that it was Ruto who reached out first, to seek his advice on how to deal with the protests that rocked Kenya for weeks. “We talked and discussed everything openly. I told him my thoughts and how to deal with the situation,” he said.
That conversation, according to Raila, resulted in the formation of the current government, though the two leaders insist that they are not in a coalition government.
The former prime minister’s revelation comes a week after he told supporters in his political base of Kibera in Nairobi that Ruto came to him “kneeling”, seeking assistance in running the country’s affairs.
Raila has been under heavy criticism especially from Gen Z, the organisers of recent protests across Kenya, who accused him of betrayal. But Raila insists that he only “donated” experts to help the president stabilise and save Kenya.
On Wednesday, Uhuru’s Jubilee Party issued a statement refuting Raila’s claim of his role in the talks with Ruto. Jubilee Party, a key affiliate party of Raila’s Azimio coalition, said Uhuru never talked to Raila to help Ruto resolve the protests.
“That is not accurate. He is misleading Kenyans on Uhuru’s position,” the party’s secretary general, Jeremiah Kioni, said at a press conference. “Be careful about what Raila says.”
He added that Kenyatta’s position on supporting the rights of Kenyans to protest and condemning the killings during the demonstrations has not changed.
Kioni told Raila to “stick to his decision of joining” Ruto’s government and not drag in Uhuru’s name to justify his actions, which are said to have angered affiliate parties in the Azimio coalition.
Martha Karua, who was Raila’s deputy presidential candidate in 2022, has formally announced plans to withdraw her Narc-Kenya party from Azimio following the cabinet deal.
“Raila knows the decision to join Ruto was wrong. He will keep saying many things, which are not accurate,” Kioni said. Alenga Torosterdt, a political analyst in Nairobi, tellsThe Africa Reportthat it’s only Uhuru, not his Jubilee Party, who can confirm or deny what Raila said.
“Ordinary Kenyans should now wake up. The political class is always united. It will always save each other,” says Torosterdt, who adds that those who protested to demand better governance are on their own.
Torosterdt argues that Raila’s claims about Kenyatta are an attempt to keep his house in order. “Raila is trying to calm down his crumbling coalition. He is sending a message that the new political developments had the blessing of Uhuru,” he says.
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