Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday, April 2, claimed that the government side was pushing him to have a handshake with Kenya Kwanza.
Raila however maintained that he was not ready to shake hands with anyone including President William Ruto and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
“We have never talked about a handshake. That is a language coming from the other side. I don’t even want to shake Gachagua’s hand,” Raila said.
But speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, April 5, the deputy president refuted claims that they had talked about a handshake with the former Prime Minister.
The former Mathira Member of Parliament stated that he has never thought of shaking Raila’s hand.
“I heard Raila saying that he doesn’t want to shake my hand, does he think I would want to shake his hand?” he posed.
The second in command further made it clear that he will not participate in a handshake with the opposition leader.
“If there is going to be a handshake with Raila Odinga, I won’t be there,” he said.
Kenya’s President William Ruto had earlier maintained that there will not be a handshake with the former Prime Minister even as the dialogue with the opposition continues.
The president insisted that when opposition fuses with the government, accountability is compromised and the whole system becomes rogue and illegal.
“Will there be a handshake? There will be no handshake but there will be an engagement in parliament. Whatever can be resolved will be resolved,” said Ruto while on an official trip to Rwanda,
“We have a government and opposition. We don’t want democracy to be undermined. Kenyans want a democracy where the system of checks and balances works,” he added.
