NASA leader Raila Odinga on Friday met with former President Mwai Kibaki and shared a cup of tea at his Muthaiga residence.
"I called on retired President Mwai Kibaki and it was good to see him in very high spirits. We discussed the current state of our nation and exchanged ideas on how best we can forge ahead in unity as a people," Raila stated.
"The greater common good of our people should be our motivation as we take steps to build an all inclusive Kenya where nobody feels left behind."
[caption caption="Raila meeting Kibaki"]
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"Equal opportunity for all and a level playing field is what our people expect and deserve. He wished us well as we proceed with this arduous task and I thank him for his candid advice," Raila concluded his statement.
The courtesy call on Kibaki, who has been away from the political limelight since his retirement after the inauguration of his successor President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013, is bound to elicit mixed reactions.
The close relationship between the two leaders spans back to 2002 when Raila endorsed Kibaki as the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (NARC) flagbearer.
A simple "Kibaki Tosha" declaration by Raila is said to have sealed the deal that saw Kibaki emerge victorious against his challenger KANU's Uhuru Kenyatta (now president).
The Friday meeting evokes memories of the historic handshake in 2008 that saw a ceasefire on the 2007/2008 Post Election Violence and the formation of the grand coalition government.
Raila's handshake meetings were brought into the fore after he called truce with Uhuru at Harambee House.
[caption caption="Raila meeting Kibaki with Jimmy Kibaki in the background"]
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In a joint statement dubbed "Building Bridges to a New Kenyan Nation" the two leaders promised to put aside their political differences for the sake of the country.
A few weeks later, Raila visited former President Daniel Moi at his Kabarak home, a meeting that drew speculations of a possible political realignment ahead of the 2022 general elections.
