Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has been left in a big dilemma after President Uhuru Kenyatta issued him with a new demand regarding their March 2018 handshake.
According to reports, Raila is stuck between accepting the demand or rejecting it and fold out of the handshake deal that has seen him work closely with President Kenyatta.
Details have already emerged that President Kenyatta wants Raila and his Orange party to sign a formal deal that will seal their agreement.
The two decided to work together to calm the political tension emanating from the controversial August 2017 General election.
Insiders who spoke to a leading local daily said that the head of state wants Odinga to enjoy the fruits of the handshake, which birthed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and has also seen several projects unveiled under Kenyatta’s regime.
Jubilee is also pushing ODM to enter into a formal agreement after the latter reportedly asked to be awarded the position of Nairobi County Deputy Governor.
ODM reportedly claimed to have played a role in impeaching former Governor Mike Sonko. New Deputy Governor Anne Kananu is poised to take over as governor.
Odinga’s party may opt to present a candidate who is aligned to the party and not necessarily a party member as a Deputy Governor nominee.
In June 2020, ODM declined to enter into an agreement with Jubilee after former Vice President, Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement and Isaac Ruto’s Chama Cha Maendeleo signed a deal with the ruling party. ODM, however, insisted that it would continue to partner with Jubilee and did not need to sign any formal deal.
Odinga held a crisis meeting with his key allies on Monday, January 19, to discuss the demand issued by Jubilee.
“We don’t need to have a formal agreement with Jubilee. All we need is to trust each other,” ODM Chairman John Mbadi said, later on.
However, trust issues are key to the new deal being sought by Kenyatta as Odinga has on numerous occasions asked his critics to distance him from Jubilee failures.
His allies such as Siaya Senator James Orengo have also openly criticised Jubilee for unemployment and Kenya’s high debt level.
Deputy President William Ruto hinted that Odinga and Kenyatta may be at loggerheads over the handshake deal, arguing that ODM wanted to pull out of the agreement after allegedly sabotaging the government.
