Handshake Archives - Daily Trends

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.

The March 9, 2018 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his opposition counterpart Raila Odinga has remained to be a history after putting calm on the political tension that was boiling in the Country. But how did it come to be?

Well, as Deputy President Dr William Ruto continues throwing jibe at Jubilee Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju over his links with Raila, Tuju has revealed other unknown details of how the handshake came to be.

In an exclusive interview with one of the local dailies, Tuju narrated how Odinga used threats of secession to force the president into the handshake.

Tuju claimed that Odinga threatened to unify all the areas that supported him in the 2017 General Election and push for autonomy.

“Before the handshake, there were some people who had ignited the secession debate so you ask yourself who would want to lead a nation which part of the population wants to secede,” Tuju continued.

The CS without portfolio went on to explain that the president had no option but to give in to Odinga’s demands so as to keep the nation united.

“The fate of Kenya depended on resolving issues of enjoining all in the government for everyone to feel part and parcel of this country,” he explained.

He further stated that those fighting the handshake were ill-advised as no one would want to lead a divided nation.

Tuju also explained how difficult it was for both parties to have a seat down and resolve the issues due to their insider’s tough stands.

The decision to have the handshake, according to Tuju, was a move to put the nation’s interests before their individual ones.

On Sunday, Ruto threw jibe at Tuju accusing him of being an opposition strategist despite being Secretary General to a ruling party.

So our democracy is so liberal that the SG of the ruling party has become the chief strategist of the opposition!! Maajabu
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) July 14, 2019

But in his response, Tuju stated that he did not wish to engage the DP in a public spat.

“I refuse to be drawn into a public argument with the deputy president, or engage him through the media, because he is my boss.

“I am committed to supporting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s efforts to unite the country, through bold steps like the BBI, the handshake, the fight against corruption and the Big Four agenda,” cited the CS without portfolio.

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