President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday tactfully defused the tension between his Deputy William Ruto and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, effectively neutralizing the simmering opposition to their unity deal.
Uhuru seized the opportunity of the National Prayer Breakfast to renew his deal and close ranks between opponents in a powerful gesture of reconciliation between foes.
He invited Ruto, Raila and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka — the opponents in the last General Election — to bury the hatchet publicly and forgive each other for their campaign transgressions.
Uhuru's move liquidated the poisonous statements by lieutenants of both Raila and Ruto, who have recently gone after each other, opening old political wounds that the handshake sought to heal.
Since March 9, Ruto's allies have publicly expressed unease with the closing of ranks between the ODM leader and the President, interpreting it as a sinister plan to scuttle theifr man’s chances of ascending to power in 2022.
Read :
A fortnight ago, Raila's allies branded Ruto 'the country's enemy number one' in a hard-hitting response to Ruto's reference to the NASA leader as a 'poll loser' pushing for constitutional changes to get accommodated into the executive.
Yesterday’s breakfast was punctuated with humour as speaker after another teased and joked about this and that. But it was Raila’s loaded parable about a hunting dog that had all ears paying attention. The mtu wa vitendawili metaphorically told of a dog that often forays into the bush and returns with prey but one day comes back with tail between legs, meaning it had encountered a beast it could not surmount. It was the elephant in the room.
And when Uhuru rose to speak, he curved the figure of a man fed up with divisive and polarising politics. He deftly set aside his prepared text and transformed the prayer breakfast into a stage for the reconciliation of two leaders whose continued public spat had the potential of jeopardising his Agenda Four legacy.
And it was as symbolic as well as political. He began by apologising to his opponent, Raila, for all the hard things he had said about him. But that was a replay of March 9. Raila reciprocated. Then the baton was passed to his deputy, Ruto, to do likewise to his counterpart —in a move loaded with meaning — as if to say, I am fine by my opponent Raila, now sort out yours with your counterpart, his running mate. Raila is not your peer. Each was put to their level as Kalonzo, too, reciprocated.
Uhuru – picking from the sermon by Lord Michael Hastings, a Father and an MP in Westminster, London —asked for forgiveness and embraced Raila in a hugs and handshakes that became the hallmark of this year's prayer meeting.
“We have campaigned against one other, we have said nasty things about one another, we hurt one another and on my behalf ndugu I ask for your forgiveness and I tender my apology,” Uhuru told Raila.
Uhuru standing in gap said in a democracy like Kenya, it is normal for people to disagree, but warned that the same should not lead to bloodshed and bad blood.
"Let us not see forgiveness as a weakness. It’s a sign of great strength."
He promised to lead the leaders in traversing all the corners of the country to cascade the handshake down to all Kenyans.
When it was Raila's turn to ask for forgiveness from the man he accused of presiding over the deaths of opposition supporters during last year's protracted election, the ODM leader vowed that never a gain will a Kenyan die because of an election.
The former premier apologised to the President but before reminding him of some of the insults he (Uhuru) was fond of directing at him during the charged campaigns.
“In front of this congregation gathered here, I tender my apology to my brother. He accused me of having insulted him, I also told him he also insulted me, he called me ‘kimundu muguruki’ (a mad man),” said Raila to Uhuru’s chuckle.
Ruto and Kalonzo followed suit in what might give force to the ongoing Building the Bridges initiative spearheaded by a 14-member committee assembled by both President Uhuru and Raila.
The team led by ambassador Martin Kimani and lawyer Paul Mwangi was gazetted yesterday and have one year to present their report.
"I am the one who is most abused but I want to say that of all the things I did say or do on behalf of all our team I want to ask for forgiveness," Ruto said amidst applause from the room.
Also read :
Before they left the stage, Ruto and Raila hugged, the firs time since the disputed repeat Presidential election that Raila boycotted.
Kalonzo committed to woo co-principals Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula — who were both absent — to embrace the handshake and forgiveness.
"We have today graduated the handshake to the hug, you have demonstrated leadership and we stand with you in fighting corruption," stated Kalonzo.
Uhuru then paraded the leaders alongside Chief Justice David Maraga, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka in a public display of unity.
The leaders vowed to capitalise on the new found unity to support President Uhuru in the ongoing fight against corruption in the country.
In his acclaimed remarks, Uhuru warned against playing tribal cards in the war on corruption saying “a thief is a thief, he is not a Luo, he is not a Kikuyu, he is not a Kalelenjin, he has a name.”
“On the basis of our unity we can foster and forge integrity that will ensure that all our resources are not plundered but they are used for the good of every citizen of this country,” said Ruto.
Chief Justice David Maraga commended the President for declaring war against corruption and pledged the Judiciary's support.
“The current campaign that is going on, to fight the vice that is one of the major enemies, corruption, has our full support and we have said it must be fought to its logical conclusion," Raila noted.
The government has in the last two weeks escalated investigation on graft in which billions was lost in five public institutions.
Youth and Public Service PS Lilian Omolo and National Youth Service Director General Richard Ndumbai are among top officials charged over the loss.
Somalia’s President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo who was on official visit to the country attended the prayer service held at Safari Park Hotel among other hundreds of dignitaries.
Must read :