Raila reveals he declined Ruto invitation to State House
Raila narrates declining State House invitation to witness the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) bill signing
Raila narrates declining State House invitation to witness the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) bill signing.
Azimio la Umoja coalition leader Raila Odinga on Saturday recalled turning down President William Ruto’s State House invitation to witness the signing of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Bill.
Speaking at a burial in Kakamega, Odinga disclosed the decision to meet President Ruto at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) was reached after a meeting with other Azimio leaders.
According to the former Prime Minister, he turned down several requests to meet Ruto at the State House and demanded the meeting be held at a neutral venue.
Raila disclosed he accepted the invitation to meet Ruto at the KICC and ordered Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ugunja lawmaker Opiyo Wandayi to attend the meeting on his behalf.
While addressing the matter, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader revealed he was forced to attend the meeting at KICC after Kalonzo declined to represent him.
According to Odinga, Kalonzo demanded he must attend the meeting since he was the coalition leader, forcing the Azimio chief to concede to the demand and meet Ruto.
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“I demanded the bill be signed elsewhere but not at the State House. They suggested it be signed at the Office of the President but I similarly rejected the idea and finally, they suggested KICC and I concurred,” Raila disclosed.
“So I called Kalonzo on the phone and directed him and Wandayi to go represent me but Kalonzo told me that I must come with him. So I met Kalonzo and the other leaders before we went to the KICC,” he narrated.
While addressing the matter, Raila dismissed allegations of a ‘handshake’ with President Ruto, stating the call for a dialogue was not for his benefit but rather for the benefit of the people of Kenya.
“We did not go there to have a dialogue with Ruto and the UDA party leadership. Even Ruto himself declined a dialogue. So all these things were put out of context,” Raila said.
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