How Uhuru, Raila handshake mutated after our deal - Ruto

Deputy president William Ruto has continued his onslaught on the handshake between ODM party leader Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Speaking during an interview with Voice of America, Ruto who acknowledged that he was briefed about the handshake said what they discussed was not what was delivered.

“As Uhuru has said, he informed me before he engaged Raila. There was no problem.. but the things we agreed upon as being part of handshake mutated into something else,” he said.

“We did not discuss that the handshake would kill the opposition, we didn’t agree that this was an exercise that would involve changing the constitution.”

Ruto said the handshake agreement did not entail matters of succession.

“Everything we did not agree on, became the handshake. We lost the opposition, we lost the ruling party, we lost direction and the big four agenda,” he said.

He said that he was briefed that Raila wanted to be facilitated to retire. 

“And I remember asking, really? do you expect him to retire. I know Raila and know his games, every fear I had has come to pass,” he said.

Last month, Uhuru said Ruto was misleading Kenyans on the conception and progress of his political handshake with Raila.

Uhuru said the DP was aware of his efforts to seek a political truce, and revealed that the deputy president took a hardline stance over the protracted stalemate that followed the contentious 2017 election.

“When we went and we spoke, we discussed and as we did, the one I was seated with (Ruto)…I was keeping him updated including the reason, I didn’t hide from him,” he said.