Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has called for a truce between Deputy President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, with the two having renewed political fights in recent weeks.
Kibwana who spoke at the closing ceremony of the sixth devolution conference in Kirinyaga on Thursday said there was need for a “second-generation” handshake between the two leaders to calm political tension in the country.
“We’ve listed to both of you (Ruto and Odinga) in various fora but as I listened, many people wish that you have a second-generation handshake. That would be good for this country because we want real and total unity,” he said at the ceremony attended by Ruto.
Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka made a similar call saying unity was crucial for the development of the country.
He urged leaders to exercise restraint in a bid to safeguard national unity.
“I want to implore upon all of us especially the political leadership that to actualize the Big Four development agenda, we have to address issues with measured tones to ensure political calmness, harmony and tranquility,” Lusaka said.
“Even in the fight against corruption, let us be objective and not politicize it so that we bring the temperatures of this country down to be able to focus on what is ahead of us,” he added.
Ruto and Odinga have recently been on a collision path over the ongoing investigation into alleged loss of Sh21 billion allocated for the construction of two dams in Elgeyo Marakwet.