Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Saturday responded to reports suggesting that opposition leader Raila Odinga left him and other Azimio bigwigs out of talks with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu.
During a media interview, Kalonzo confirmed that indeed Raila met Suluhu without his Azimio entourage but clarified that Raila kept them informed on all developments.
The former Vice President explained that President Suluhu's itinerary was to talk with Raila and President William Ruto before meeting other leaders.
“Raila invited Karua and I plus other top Azimio leaders for lunch. During that time, he told us that he had communicated with the Tanzanian government about Suluhu's visit,” Kalonzo cleared the air.
The Wiper leader further clarified that Raila flew to Nanyuki alone, where he had a one-on-one meeting with Suluhu.
Despite the Azimio brigade missing out on the discussion, Kalonzo reassured that they had no worries about being excluded from any agreements made by Raila.
“We thought it was wise for Raila to hear out Suluhu. We asked him not to make any commitments before talking to us,” Kalonzo explained.
The Wiper Leader took Raila's cue asserting that Ruto was the one who invited Suluhu to Kenya to mediate between the opposition and the government.
Kalonzo also seized the opportunity to apologize to the Tanzanian people for what he described as humiliation of their President by Ruto.
While the Azimio faction continues to insist that Suluhu was in Kenya at Ruto's invitation, the government has chosen to remain silent and has not provided a clear statement on the matter.
On July 26, State House spokesperson Hussein Mohammed refused to confirm or deny whether Suluhu spent two nights at a Nanyuki hotel and whether she was snubbed by Ruto.
He explained that Heads of State who visit the country follow established protocols handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The former news anchor added that this did not rule out a Head of State visiting Kenya for a holiday or private business.
Kalonzo, who once served as foreign affairs minister, explained that there was no way a president of another country could visit Kenya without official communication with the government.
