Lawyer Saitabao Ole Kanchory who served as Chief Agent for Azimio Leader Raila Odinga, on Tuesday, April 11, opened about his relationship with President William Ruto ahead of the August 2022 General Election.
In a book titled Why Baba Is Not The 5th, Kanchory sought to answer critics who previously accused him of being Ruto's mole within the Azimio camp.
He admitted to the fact that both he and Ruto had been long-time friends despite their different political leanings.
"A little-known fact is I worked with William Ruto long before meeting Raila Odinga.
"It was sometime in early 2010 when the debate on the then-proposed new Constitution was raging," Kanchory admitted.
According to Kanchory, the accusations against him were baseless detailed his first encounter with President Ruto.
The lawyer stated that he was introduced to Ruto while he was working as a political activist for his Maasai community.
"One fine morning, my kinsman and fellow lawyer Martin Ole Kamwaro - clearly impressed by my strong and highly structured sentiments against the then draft Constitution, 2010 took me to William Ruto's office at Jogoo House, Nairobi," Saitabao revealed.
He stated that the relationship between him only blossomed when they started working on various political projects together.
They shared similar political views, which made them work together beyond the 2010 Constitution which Raila's side won.
Raila and former President Mwai Kibaki led the 'Yes' side while Ruto was leading the 'No' wing, symbolically represented by a banana.
Against the backdrop of the promulgation of 2010 Constitution, Saitabao, noted that Ruto faced a myriad of challenges during which they shared a lot in common.
"The country's future fifth president was then the beleaguered Minister for Higher Education and I was a young, passionate and, some say, eloquent lawyer with a strong head and even stronger views," Saitabao noted.
However, Saitabao stated that he got attracted to Raila's politics and later developed an interest in serving him.
In August 2010, Raila appointed Saitabao as his Chief Agent at the Bomas of Kenya, which also served as the National Tallying Centre.
Even though Saitabao fell out with some members of Azimio, he still maintained his loyalty to Raila and his enduring friendship with Ruto.
"Judging from the mood of the country before, during and even after the fateful election, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga enjoys massive support from the Kenyan public," Saitabao claimed.
