Reaching Out To Raila, Uhuru Is The Greatest Gift President Ruto Gave Kenyans During Jamhuri Day
The Mt Kenya Times 
President William Ruto visited his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta at his Ichaweri home in Gatundu.
By: Joseph Mutua Ndonga
Worth Noting:
- For starters, relationship between Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto dates back to three decades.
- The camaraderie took a new turn when the two leaders contested and won the Presidential elections of 2013 on a joint ticket of the Jubilee party.
- This came as a surprise to their opponents who never imagined they can be defeated by people who were facing charges of ‘crimes against humanity’ at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
- How did they manage to turn the tide against their opponents? They managed to convince majority of Kenyans they did not play any role in post-election violence that rocked the country in the aftermath of 2007 elections.
In the eve of Jamhuri Day celebration, President William Ruto visited his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta at his Ichaweri home in Gatundu.
Reports indicated the talks between the two leaders which lasted two hours covered a wide range of issues of national importance.
The issue of building a united and cohesive nation of Kenya was given the priority.
The duo reflected on the key strides they have made in this endeavor since 2013.
This issue of national unity dominated President Ruto’s speech as he led the nation in marking this year’s Jumhuri Day.
A mammoth crowd turned up to attend this ceremony held at Uhuru Garden in Nairobi. The President of Gambia was among the world leaders present.
President Ruto had earlier reached out to his worthy competitor, ODM leader Raila Odinga, and their talks heralded in birth of broad-based government.
For starters, relationship between Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto dates back to three decades.
The camaraderie took a new turn when the two leaders contested and won the Presidential elections of 2013 on a joint ticket of the Jubilee party.
This came as a surprise to their opponents who never imagined they can be defeated by people who were facing charges of ‘crimes against humanity’ at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
How did they manage to turn the tide against their opponents? They managed to convince majority of Kenyans they did not play any role in post-election violence that rocked the country in the aftermath of 2007 elections.
Our names were not on the presidential ballot paper and we were on record pleading with Kenyans to end violence and embrace peace and unity. Let us not burn our country because we have no where else to go. Let us follow the due process of law. The constitution envisages the legal steps to resolve the electoral disputes.
The violence broke out after incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and ODM leader Raila Odinga failed to agree on who had won the presidential elections. The hardliners in both sides were cited for maintaining their hardline stances.
After winning the elections, the UhuRuto immediately started to walk the talk in building a truly united, harmonious country.
In light of this, the recent meeting between the two leaders did not come as a surprise.
The signs that Uhuru and Ruto were poised to shake hands started emerging when they shared the same podium in Embu. This was during the installation of Embu catholic bishop. The remarks and body language of the duo pointed to this.
The statement released by State House also indicated the discussions covered the reconstitution of IEBC and Raila Odinga’s AUC candidature.
Media report indicated President Ruto flew to Ichaweri, the home of former President in Gatundu, Kiambu county, aboard a helicopter. Two other choppers were in tow.
The local leaders and security officials were not present. One of the top security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that they were not informed.
The workers at Ichaweri were also not in picture that a Very, Very Important Person (VVIP) was visiting the former President.
It dawned on them an important person is arriving when they saw helicopters landing.
The closed door meeting was held one day after a group of political leaders kicked up a campaign of pushing for disbandment of tribal inclined groupings.
Reason? They argued the outfits were designed to reverse and sabotage the efforts President William Ruto’s administration had made in building a united, cohesive and harmonious nation of Kenya.
The political roadmap for reviving GEMA and include Kamba in this fold had already been drafted and rollout. It is however worth to note Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former DP Rigathi Gachagua skipped the event. This is despite the fact they were in the frontline of calling for revival of the GEMA.
I remember former President Daniel Moi had disbanded the tribal outfits. They included the Kalinjin-Maasai-Turkana-Sumburu (Kamatusa) which was leaning towards him.
The other day, a group of kikuyus, who believe in national unity, told me.
A senior Kikuyu leader who is fronting for revival of Gema showered President Moi with praises for disbanding the outfit and other tribal groupings.
Joseph Mutua Ndonga Is A Writer And Social Commentator
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