The 4 times Raila shook hands with ex-rivals

Raila has always found a foothold in governments formed by ex-rivals.

by Allan Kisia

News07 March 2025 - 17:04

In Summary

When Ruto raided the ODM party and picked Raila’s lieutenants to join his Cabinet, it became clear a deal was in the offing.
Ruto and Raila both appended their signatures to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) while flanked by their respective party officials.

*President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga after agreeing to work together/File/PCS*

When the Kenya Kwanza-ODM Framework Agreement was signed, it marked the fourth time former Prime Minister Raila Odinga entered into a political pact with the government of the day.

President William Ruto and Raila officially on Friday signed a political pact and pledged to work together in one government.

Ruto and Raila both appended their signatures to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) while flanked by their respective party officials.

Former *President Uhuru Kenyatta greets opposition leader Raila Odinga after addressing a news conference at the Harambee House office in Nairobi on March 9, 2018./FILE*

When Ruto raided the ODM party and picked Raila’s lieutenants to join his Cabinet, it became clear a deal was in the offing.

But it was not the first time.

Throughout his political career, the veteran opposition leader has always managed to find a foothold and influence in governments formed by ex-rivals after losing out to them in elections.

Raila has had similar political deals with the Presidents Daniel Arap Moi (2001), Mwai Kibaki (2008) and Uhuru Kenyatta (2018).

*Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga shakes hands with the late President Mwai Kibaki after signing a power-sharing deal in February 2008./FILE*

*President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga sign a Memorandum of Understanding at KICC on March 7, 2025/PCS*

When Raila was incorporated into Moi’s Cabinet, the political arena was stunned.

After joining the National Development Party, he merged it with Kanu to form New Kanu.

To cement the marriage, Moi gave Raila and a few other NDP leaders Cabinet positions.

He was appointed Minister for Energy, a position he held from June 2001 to 2002, when Moi revealed Uhuru as his preferred candidate for the New Kanu 2002 presidential ticket.

*Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga shakes hands with late ex-president Daniel Moi/File*

In April 2008, Kibaki named a new power-sharing government, with Raila as Prime Minister.

The move ended weeks of deadlock after the deadly crisis that followed the 2007 election.

More than 1,200 people died and 600,000 displaced in what became the country’s bloodiest post-election violence since independence in 1963.

And on March 9, 2018, Kenyans witnessed a rather surprising event. On the steps of Harambee House, the building where the President’s office is domiciled along Harambee Avenue in Nairobi, Uhuru and Raila shook hands.

The political pact went on to be popularly known as the ‘handshake.’

It followed the ODM leader’s protest over the outcome of the 2017 general election, accusing Uhuru of vote rigging.