Close allies of ODM leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto have rubbished claims that the two politicians are planning to form an alliance.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, a close associate of the DP, compared a coalition between Raila and Ruto to that of the US’s Republican Party partnering with The Democratic Party, stating that this was unworkable.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, April 13, Murkomen, a former Senate Majority Leader, said Ruto was only willing to work with those who will support his presidential bid.
“…we have never had and are not planning to have a conversation towards forming a political alliance with ODM… We in the hustler nation believe that the only credible competitor we have in the country is Raila Odinga,” the Senator said.
On his part, ODM chairman John Mbadi supported Murkomen’s remarks, saying ODM was not in coalition talks with anyone and was single-mindedly focused on the passing of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) recommendations.
The remarks by the duo came in the wake of Ruto’s suggestion last month that he was ready to work with the ODM leader.
Speaking in an interview on Radio Citizen, and later on other platforms, the Deputy President expressed his readiness to join hands with all like-minded politicians who share his dream for the country.
“Anybody who wants to join us to fight poverty and other things that ail the country is welcome,” he stated, categorically noting that he could partner with Raila if the latter agreed with his manifesto and his belief that poverty should be fought from the bottom to the top.
The remarks were widely seen as part of a fresh charm offensive by Ruto to woo Raila to his side. Speculation that there was something cooking between the two heightened last week after Ruto held a meeting with Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in the Masai Mara, Narok County.
Oparanya later clarified that he informed Raila when he ‘bumped’ into DP. The governor later met Raila in the company of Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa to brief him about their discussion.
