Raila Odinga Jr, the son of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has hinted at denouncing his father's latest political move after a joint press conference with President William Ruto.
In a short, one-sentence statement he shared online, Raila Jr called on the public to respect his separate personality despite sharing both names with his father.
"Everybody is an individual, please! Even people with the same exact names," he stated.
The post was among a handful that Raila Jr has made since anti-Finance Bill 2024 protests kicked off slightly over two weeks ago.
The statement came at the height of criticism against former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for backing some of the decisions undertaken by the Head of State.
After witnessing the Head of State assent to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Amendment Act of 2024, the two leaders proceeded to the front steps of Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC) for a press conference flanked by their allies.
Raila later revealed that he backed Ruto's move to form a multi-sectoral forum to expedite the issues raised by anti-government protesters.
He further approved the formation of the multi-sectoral forum following a consultative meeting with the Head of State.
“I can confirm that we have had consultations and after the consultations, we have agreed that a dialogue is the way forward out of the crisis that we have had as a country,” Raila stated.
“We have agreed we give people an opportunity to be heard, express themselves and come out with the grievances that are ailing our country today so that a lasting solution can be found."
Shortly after, Raila became a top trending topic on X with some users arguing that the politicians who attended the dialogue were charting their own political survival.
"The dialogue is between two individuals: William Ruto and Raila Odinga. We refuse to be controlled by selfish politicians who only value their stomachs. Gen Zs and Millennials are now taking the bull by the horns," lamented Cornelius Ronoh.
"We told Raila Odinga to rest and let us handle our own matter. We are not going to dialogue with President William Ruto. We know how it ends and Baba is a clear example of how dialogue never works!" Added another.
Several other leaders, however, supported the dialogue and a six-day forum Ruto proposed noting that it would chart the way forward for the country.
