I’m the one who asked Raila for ministers – Ruto

President William Ruto has revealed that he personally reached out to the late ODM leader Raila Odinga after the 2022 General Election to invite him and his party into government.

Speaking during Raila’s burial service at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo, Siaya County, President Ruto said he sought to recognise Raila’s immense contribution and sacrifices for the country’s democracy.

“I can now reveal here today that a few months after the election, I looked for Baba. I told him, ‘Prime Minister, you have been my teacher. At this age, I am your son, but in the love of God, I am the President of Kenya,’” Ruto said.

He said his decision to reach out to Raila was driven by respect and gratitude rather than political gain.

“I told Baba that I wanted, like a son who learned politics under him, to take care of him because he made a huge sacrifice for our nation. I told him I wanted to right the wrongs that had been done to him,” the President added.

Ruto disclosed that Raila did not make any demands or set conditions for ODM’s inclusion in government. Instead, he said it was him who asked Raila to recommend a minister from Nyanza.

“I asked Baba to give me a minister from Nyanza, and he gave me John Mbadi,” Ruto said. “Today, I am very proud that Baba and I made the decision to have John Mbadi as the Minister of Finance of Kenya.”

The President credited Mbadi’s appointment with helping stabilise Kenya’s economy.

“Since he took office, inflation has come down from 9.6 percent to 4 percent, and the exchange rate has dropped from 165 to 129. Interest rates have gone down, and Kenya is now the sixth-largest economy in Africa,” Ruto noted.

Ruto said his collaboration with Raila was not only a political partnership but also a symbolic gesture of nity and reconciliation.

“I thank God because after this long journey in politics, He has given me the chance to be the chairman of ODM in the government of Kenya,” Ruto said.

“ODM is now part and parcel of the government of the Republic of Kenya.”

He urged Kenyans to preserve Raila’s legacy by strengthening democracy and building unity across political divides.

“Raila Odinga’s spirit of sacrifice and service to the people of Kenya will live on,” Ruto said

. “Our best way to honour him is to keep this nation united.”