ODM leader Raila Odinga has said it was so difficult to make peace with President Uhuru Kenyatta and forge a united front that culminated in the famous 2018 handshake.
Speaking at the University of Nairobi on Tuesday, October 12, where he met youth from Mt Kenya, the former Prime Minister said they used to insult each other, something that made it hard for the handshake to happen.
The ODM leader said he and Uhuru were locked in two meetings that lasted 13 hours and six hours respectively before they agreed to resolve the differences.
“On basis of the handshake, Uhuru and I had open discussions but it was very difficult because I used to refer to him as a drunkard and he also referred to me as ‘mundu muguruki’ (Kikuyu for madman)but we had 2 meetings to resolve the issues,” Odinga said.
President Uhuru’s handshake partner however said he has since forgiven the Head of State for calling him muguruki.
He further added that President Uhuru Kenyatta had also forgiven him for referring to him as a drunkard.
Raila who has expressed his ambitions to succeed retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2022 General Election further cautioned Kenyans against viewing each other only by the community they belong to.
“We remember where we came from and our sense of nationalism. Never again will Kenyans fight after an election,” he said.
Raila said there is a need to address unity in the run-up to the election to avoid violence, which is what the Handshake is premised on.
The Handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga has culminated into what analysts say is linked to the 2022 succession matrix.
This has seen the ODM leader Raila Odinga considered to be the finest successor of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
