Retired Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers on Thursday, April 6, challenged President William Ruto not to accept a push for handshake during his bipartisan talks with Azimio La Umoja Coalition led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Drawing from their experience in the armed forces, the soldiers collectively argued that a handshake was not healthy for the country.
“We advise that hardline stances are not healthy, if they take root at a time like this, they will bring turbulence and increase political temperatures.
“We support the bipartisan approach but we do not support a handshake. Handshake, in our experience as retired soldiers, is a poison to any democracy,” they noted in a statement.
They, therefore, urged the President to resist all attempts to form a 'handshake' government while nudging the opposition to drop ‘handshake’-like demands. According to the group, Azimio La Umoja is hell-bent on forming a ‘handshake’ government.
The soldiers further added that a handshake agreement hampers multiparty democracy and that it is not envisioned in the Constitution.
This harkens back to the famous handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on March 9, 2018.
This led to the ruling Jubilee Party, led by Uhuru, working together with the opposition party Orange Democratic Movement, led by Raila.
It also led to animosity between President Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto.
The soldiers also advocated for peace after serving in war-torn countries while conducting peace-keeping missions as part of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) peace-keeping missions.
Founded in 2008 following a government resolution and approval, Kenya Veterans for Peace is made up of retired KDF soldiers or those who have resigned on compassionate grounds.
In 2022, former President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Kenya Defence Forces Military Veteran Act of 2022 into law.
The law caters to the well-being of KDF veterans by providing resources to help them reintegrate back into civilian life.
