Deputy President William Ruto has taken a swipe at leaders who held a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Mombasa earlier in the week.
The President met ODM leader Raila Odinga and the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) principals including Wiper Party’s Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi of KANU, Musalia Mudavadi of ANC, and Moses Wetangula of Ford-Kenya.
Speaking at his Karen residence on Thursday, August 12, the DP stated that none of the leaders who met the president had voted or campaigned for him in previous elections.
He accused them of using the president's office to spearhead their personal agenda, adding that the leaders could not bring the country together through tribal outfits.
“They must first dismantle their ethnic-based parties and form a national outfit the way we have done it,” Ruto noted.
The DP was meeting grassroot leaders from across the country led by Isaac Mwaura (former nominated Senator), Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu MP), Jayne Kihara (Naivasha MP), Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira MP), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati MP), Cecily Mbarire (nominated MP), George Theuri (Embakasi West MP) and Mwambu Mabonga (Bumula MP).
During the meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Mombasa, the opposition leaders discussed an array of issues including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the country, maintaining peace, unity, and national cohesion, as well as steps to revamp the economy.
Reports indicated that the Head of State had met the leaders to strike a unity deal amongst them ahead of the 2022 General Election.
“The Head of State was concerned by the disunity exhibited by the opposition politicians and wanted to implore them to forge a united outfit that would compete against the DP,” revealed a government official privy to the meeting details.
ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi's allies and those of Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka indicated that their principals flatly refused the proposal to support ODM's Raila Odinga in the August 9, 2022 polls.
"There is pressure to have Musalia support (Raila). We have stuck to our guns. We are not going to prop up anybody this time round," Lugari MP, Ayub Savula, who is also Mudavadi's ally stated.
