Ruto says sorry to Raila, Kalonzo over poll insults
What you need to know:
- The four leaders also vowed to deal with corruption. In what is the first formal introduction of Mr Ruto and Mr Musyoka, who were both kept out of the March 9 deal, the Head of State personally asked Mr Odinga to pardon him for what he said were hurtful words uttered in the charged elections.
Nairobi. President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Deputy William Ruto and opposition leader RailaOdinga’s 2017 running mate KalonzoMusyoka were on Thursday formally enjoined in the “Building Bridges” pact between their two bosses in a rare show of unity sealed by apologies and warm embraces.
The four leaders also vowed to deal with corruption. In what is the first formal introduction of Mr Ruto and Mr Musyoka, who were both kept out of the March 9 deal, the Head of State personally asked Mr Odinga to pardon him for what he said were hurtful words uttered in the charged elections.
“We have campaigned against one another. We have said nasty things about one another. We have hurt one another. On my behalf, my brother Raila, I ask for your forgiveness and tender my apology,” President Kenyatta said to the applause of the audience at the annual National Prayer Breakfast at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi.
Started in 2003 with the advent of the Kibaki administration to unite Kenyans in prayers, Thursday’s event was the sixteenth edition.
Thursday was the first time the four leaders met at the same event after the charged 2017 elections – annulled by the Supreme Court in August, and boycotted by a furious Mr Odinga and his team.
The handshake, which altered the political landscape, was organised secretly by President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga, with their lieutenants getting to know about it long after it had been sealed, and minutes before the famous deal was unveiled.
“We have said never again shall a Kenyan die because of an election. Never again shall a Kenyan deprive a fellow Kenyan of his birthright because of an election. And we will also fight corruption together. This is the meaning of the handshake,” Mr Odinga said before apologising to President Kenyatta. (Daily Nation)
