Former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, on Friday, April 14, revealed the role Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji played in brokering a truce between President William Ruto and his rival, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
According to the close ally of Raila, Haji was in charge of a delegation of the Ruto administration in talks with the Azimio side as they sought to find common ground before the protests were called off.
Oparanya indicated that Haji arrived with five leaders from the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The former governor declined to reveal the identity of the other members, given the sensitivity of the issue. He only revealed the identity of the DPP to confirm reports circulating in the media
On the other hand, he noted that the over 6-hour meeting started on the morning of Sunday, April 2 and went on until evening, when major concerns of both sides were addressed.
After the deal was brokered, Ruto called for a State of the Nation address, with Raila holding the same hours later.
"He (Haji) is the one who initiated it. You got that information earlier, so I could not hide it. That very day - on Sunday, April 2, when the announcement was made, the teams sat from the morning.
"Later on, there are those who joined from the Kenya Kwanza side and there are also others who joined from our side," he stated.
On the other hand, he noted that the major issue raised by the Raila - led faction was on the cases that had been opened against Azimio leaders and protesters - which they wanted to be dropped.
According to Oparanya, DPP dropped the cases a day after the meeting, a sign of good faith from the Kenya Kwanza administration.
"It wasn't a concern because you do not know the relationship between whoever was sent (Haji) and the President. Maybe being a civil servant it was also in good faith," he stated.
With the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions being an independent agency stipulated by the Constitution, the DPP may be pressured to explain why he represented government interests. Prior to the talks, DPP Haji had been accused of bias and favouritism, having dropped graft cases of several government appointees.
Meanwhile, Oparanya's claims were supported by Raila's sentiments on April 4 when he indicated that Ruto sent emissaries to his team and denied reports that he personally met Ruto.
"There have been allegations that I met Ruto in the Mara. Nothing can be further from the truth. The request came from the other side, and our people responded and gave conditions," Raila stated.
Notably, Haji denied the allegations by Oparanya to journalists and is yet to speak publicly on the matter.
"I do not know what you are talking about," the DPP responded to NTV.
