Azimio la Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga recently shared his experience of declining President William Ruto’s invitation to State House for the signing of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Bill.
At a funeral in Kakamega, Odinga revealed that the decision to meet the President at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) was made after consulting with other Azimio leaders.
Odinga explained that he had refused multiple requests to meet Ruto at State House, insisting on a neutral location. He initially agreed to send Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi as his representatives to the KICC meeting.
Kalonzo Persuaded Raila To Meet Ruto
However, Odinga disclosed that he ultimately attended the meeting himself after Kalonzo declined to go in his place:
“I demanded the bill be signed elsewhere but not at the State House. They suggested it be signed at the Office of the President but I similarly rejected the idea and finally, they suggested KICC and I concurred.”
“So I called Kalonzo on the phone and directed him and Wandayi to go represent me but Kalonzo told me that I must come with him. So I met Kalonzo and the other leaders before we went to the KICC.”
Odinga dismissed rumors of a ‘handshake’ with President Ruto, emphasizing that the call for dialogue was for the benefit of Kenyans, not himself:
“We did not go there to have a dialogue with Ruto and the UDA party leadership. Even Ruto himself declined a dialogue. So all these things were put out of context.”
The Azimio leader also called for the resignation of Nairobi Regional Commander Adamson Bungei and demanded action against former Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, despite his resignation.
Odinga explained that these hard decisions came after the protest by “Gen Z” which were so similar with the protests by the opposition party in 2023, where young people were killed and shooting and arrest threats issued.
