Azimio Leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday, July 26, rejected the olive branch extended to him by President William Ruto warning that the Head of State was not sincere and could not be trusted.
Speaking during an interview with Al Jazeera at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, Raila wondered why the Head of State opted to reach out to him via social media instead of formal channels.
"The President is not being serious. If he wanted to meet with me he would not have sent an invite through social media.
"He knows my address and telephone number and everything. He is basically just playing games. That is like his public relations exercise," the former Prime Minister remarked.
The Azimio leader firmly asserted that President William Ruto had frustrated Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu's efforts to mediate between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza, despite being in the country on the government's invitation.
"I mentioned yesterday that two weeks ago, the President of Tanzania Suluhu Hassan, came here to Kenya at his invitation and she spent two days here wishing to bring us together," he reiterated.
Raila revealed that after Suluhu arrived in Kenya, she was kept waiting by the Kenya Kwanza side, which subsequently led to her returning to Tanzania. Raila indicated Azimio was willing to engage in the talks.
"If he was serious in terms of negotiations, that was the time that we would have met and started this conversation," he added.
Raila has intensified his criticism of Ruto's purported willingness to engage in sincere discussions. He dismissed the president's move to appoint representatives for bipartisan parliamentary talks as merely cosmetic, raising doubts about Ruto's commitment to the process.
Raila questioned why Ruto failed to pursue the bipartisan talks after Azimio withdrew from the discussions.
Raila posed that the anti-government protests were geared at waking Ruto up from his political slumber. Ruto has in the past indicated that the Kenya Kwanza government has fixed the country's economy, claims which economic experts and the opposition have dismissed.
Raila's comments came one day after Ruto, in a tweet, said he was willing to meet Raila to end the current political impasse that has caused tension in the country.
During the interview, Raila maintained he was not interested in getting a share of the government. The opposition leader though indicated he was willing to partake in serious talks for betterment of the country.
