President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto were all smiles as they attended the same function in Nairobi on Sunday, January 26.
Only a day after their allies engaged in a tense Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) forum in Mombasa, the duo joined the congregation at Africa Inland Church (AIC) Milimani for a Sunday mass.
An installation ceremony for the new Presiding Bishop Abraham Mulwa was also scheduled to take place.
President Kenyatta was welcomed at the church by Ruto alongside Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.
Ruto was also accompanied to the ceremony by his wife Rachel.
Other leaders present at the service included Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter, Attorney General Paul Kihara Kariuki and Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua.
The decision by the president and his deputy to attend the same mass caught Kenyans by surprise, especially in the background of reports that the bromance between them was on the death bed.
The deputy president in an interview with NTV's Ken Mijungu on Thursday, January 23 downplayed allegations of a widening rift between him and Uhuru.
“If there is respect and loyalty that can be displayed. There is no one who has displayed loyalty and respect to Uhuru than myself.
“These people, many of them are people in NASA have never voted for Uhuru Kenyatta. I knew Uhuru in 1998 when former President Moi sent me to Mark Too to persuade him to step down [so that Uhuru could be nominated to Parliament],” he asserted.
Ruto's allies also changed tune on the regional BBI forums, one of them being Murkomen who was present at the forum in Mombasa on Saturday, January 25. Ruto had previously dismissed the meetings as a waste of public resources and opposition campaign rallies.
Speaking in Mombasa, however, Murkomen affirmed support for a referendum to validate constitutional changes in the BBI which he gave his full backing.
"It's the first time in history for politicians to sit on one dias and have a common stand...It is no longer about us versus them, we are united. We've all agreed that referendum is a must," Murkomen announced to cheers from the crowd.
Mulwa was elected as the new AIC presiding bishop on Wednesday, 15th January after the retirement of Bishop Silas Yego in December 2019.
Eighty four delegates from across the country took part in the election, with Mulwa garnering 68 votes, ahead of his closest challenger, Geoffrey Gichure, from Central Area Church Council who got 16 votes.
At the time of his retirement, Yego had served as the presiding bishop for 18 years.
