A year after Handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, details have emerged about their family members role in brokering the deal that ended the bitter and bloody 2017 election dispute.
Daily Active has learnt that soon after Raila’s mock swearing as the “people’s president” on January 30, last year, a few members of the former First Family set out on a mission to bring the two rival political families together.
It was a private two-family affair whose outcome has radically transformed Kenya’s political landscape and defused tension that had threatened to push the country to edge of the precipice.M
Opening up for the first time about the events that preceded the unity pact, Raila’s elder brother, Oburu Oginga confided that the two families agreed to keep everything under wraps until the deal was complete.
“It was a delicate balancing act that we had to tread cautiously otherwise it would have collapsed with devastating consequences. Very few people were privy to it, and I think, it is one reason we managed to succeed,” he said.
According to an impeccable source, Uhuru’s close family members made several secret visits to Raila’s Karen home to negotiate a truce between the two competitors in the 2013 and 2017 elections.
The source said the talks involved close relatives of Uhuru, Raila’s wife Ida and Oburu. A series of meetings between the two families reportedly kicked off two weeks after the mock oath.
Uhuru and close associates were reportedly not convinced Raila would go through with the oath until it happened.
But following the event which mobilised opposition supporters and whipped up emotions, it became apparent urgent intervention was needed to contain the situation.
It was at this point that the President began efforts to reach out to the former prime minister to unlock the stalemate.
According to the source, the Uhuru side insisted the dialogue between Raila and Uhuru locks out other players to give it better chance of success.
“One of the President’s representatives decided to give it a family approach,” revealed the source. Raila is said to have accepted the approach and strategy.
After agreeing on the modalities of their meetings, Raila is said to have informed Siaya Senator James Orengo and a few other politicians in the Nasa coalition.
“He only gave them scanty information but did not divulge details,” our source said. Other members of the Jaramogi family were also kept in the dark. Ruth Odinga, Raila’s younger sister, said she only found out about the unity deal on television.
“To be honest, someone called me to ask me whether I was watching TV. When I asked what was there, she told me about the Handshake,” she said.
On footsteps of Harambee House, Raila was only accompanied by his daughter Winnie and Suna East MP Junet Mohammed.
While the Handshake had the effect of ending the post-election hostilities and the old political feud between the Kenyattas and the Odingas, it has ironically fanned new suspicions within the ruling Jubilee Party.
Some have read mischief in Uhuru and Raila’s camaraderie, with many saying their truce was meant to isolate Deputy President William Ruto.
Ruto has since been walking a tight rope as he juggles between remaining loyal to his boss while fighting for his political survival.
Following the handshake, there has also been renewed fight against corruption, with Ruto’s camp crying foul that the fight has been weaponised to frustrate his 2022 State House bid.
Former Jubilee vice chair David Murathe’s sentiments that Ruto would not be Jubilee’s flag bearer has also sent shockwaves within the party.
Internationally, however, both the President and his opposition foe-turned-ally have enjoyed favourable publicity for their “political maturity.”
Raila was eventually appointed African Union Representative for Infrastructure Development, a position which has boosted his status internationally.
Residents of Raila’s backyard of Nyanza say the Handshake has borne fruits. Uhuru has visited the formerly “hostile” region twice since the Handshake, each time to a rousing reception.
Late last year, the president spent two days Kisumu and Siaya counties and had lunch at Raila’s Opoda home in Bondo. Kisumu deputy governor Mathews Owili says the economy of the region had improved.
“We have seen a big change in terms of the guests who visit the region. Investors are at peace because the region is very secure and there are no more riots,” he adds.
Kisumu senator Fred Outa says the Handshake has created harmony between communities in the region.