- The Azimio chief agent added that their friendship grew stronger to a point Ruto would trust him with his finances. These included church donations.
- However, Kanchory said he decided to end their great friendship since his conscience and philosophy would not allow him to work together with Ruto.
Image: SAITABAO KANCHORY/TWITTER
Former Azimio leader Raila Odinga’s chief agent Saitabao Ole Kanchory has elaborated on how his relationship with President William Ruto started.
Kanchory said their connection started way back in 2010 when the debate on the then-proposed new Constitution was raging.
He said his fellow lawyer Martine Ole Kamwaro took him to Ruto’s office at Jogoo House in Nairobi after he was impressed by his strong and highly structured sentiments against the then-draft 2010 Constitution.
“It was in the mid-morning hours when William Ruto ushered Kamwaro and me to his office and served us a cup of tea,” Kanchory said.
He said they became close friends with Ruto within a short time that other leaders would use him to get to Ruto.
“To say William Ruto and I hit it off would be an understatement. From the time we met, our relationship grew from mere acquaintances to more or less friends. Over time, I became something very close to a confidante to Ruto,” Kanchory said.
“Between 2010 and 2012, my relationship with William Ruto was so close that the likes of Farouk Kibet, Nixon Korir (Lands and Physical Planning principal secretary) and others often came to me when they needed something from Ruto.”
He said that he would jokingly address Ruto as His Excellency but Ruto would otherwise be flattered by the title.
“Despite his reluctant and awkward reaction, I kept addressing him as such and once even told him to get used to the grand title as one day it could well be his,” Kanchory said.
He added that Ruto would call him in the late hours to consult him on a wide range of issues.
He said he would help him write and review press statements, letters, and other communications and even represent him in some court cases.
“It was clear the man valued my input and insights. I think William Ruto who was refining his nascent political philosophy had found in me someone he could bounce off and polish up his ideas,” Kanchory said.
The Azimio chief agent added that their friendship grew stronger to a point Ruto would trust him with his finances. These included church donations.
However, Kanchory said he decided to end their great friendship since his conscience and philosophy would not allow him to work together with Ruto.
"I thus made the difficult decision to disengage and distance myself from him on ideological grounds. Being an ideologue, I was unable to relate to his personal and political ideology or more accurately, the lack thereof," he said.
Therefore, in 2013, as the general election drew closer, he decided to support Raila Odinga who was the then Prime Minister.