Handshake with Uhuru, BBI will stand the test of time, says Raila

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has exuded confidence that his ‘handshake’ with President Uhuru Kenyatta remains strong and will stand the test of time amid a push by Deputy President William Ruto for him to embark on the opposition role.

Mr Odinga issued the remarks on Tuesday during a closed-door strategy meeting with ODM chairs from all the 47 counties at Chungwa House, Nairobi.

He emphasised the party’s commitment to the ‘handshake’ and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

“The handshake with President Kenyatta remains strong and unshaken. The BBI too is strong and remains unshaken,” he said in a statement after the meeting.

“The two, which are sides of the same coin, are founded on some very solid and enduring principles that will stand the test of time.”

Ruto’s dare

Mr Odinga’s statement comes barely two days after DP Ruto dared him to quit the deal with the President over his criticism of Jubilee Party over unfulfilled 2017 election promises.

The DP alleged that Mr Odinga is planning to end the deal and that this is the basis for his attack on the ruling party.

“We welcomed you (into the government). Please have some manners or go back to the opposition. You cannot continue to lecture us on why certain things have not happened yet you are the one causing confusion,” Dr Ruto said on Sunday in reference to Mr Odinga and his allies.

Mr Odinga had faulted the Jubilee administration of failure to deliver on its pre-election pledges during his tour of Soweto in Embakasi East on Sunday.

"It is not right for our opponents to pretend to have forgotten about the promises and launch a campaign targeting ordinary Kenyans without delivering on their pledges," he said, inapparent reference to Dr Ruto's ‘Hustler Nation’ movement.

His statement came just a day after his close confidant - Senate Minority Leader James Orengo (Siaya) said they will embark on their role as the opposition if their Jubilee partners continue to undermine them.

This caused confusion among their supporters on whether they are set to abandon a deal that President Kenyatta says was primarily aimed at helping Kenya end election violence.

Shared prosperity

But on Tuesday, Mr Odinga put on a brave face, insisting that they are focused on the BBI drive and that nothing will cripple the deal.

“Because of your efforts, we were able to collect signatures in record time for the BBI report. That too is a testimony to the strength of the handshake and the BBI dream,” he told the ODM officials.

He said they must defend the initiative against propaganda and attacks by their opponents.

“It is upon you, as leaders in this movement, to debunk the propaganda being peddled by persons who have no record and no ideologies other than the plunder of public resources. You have to stop them from undermining the struggle for good governance and ending corruption, which is what the BBI is about,” he said.

“As a party and a movement that has consistently fought for change, social justice, equitable sharing of the wealth of the nation and devolution of resources and services to the grassroots, the BBI is critical to us.

“It is part and parcel of our long journey to creating a united country founded on the principle of shared prosperity.”

The ODM boss noted that the biggest threat to Kenya’s unity is the dwindling size of the national cake even as the population grows.

“It is our position as a party to do more to grow the national cake, protect it from thieves and share it equitably.”

The BBI, he noted, is founded on the three broad pillars of production of national wealth, protecting the wealth from “thieves and all sorts of crooks” and sharing it fairly and equitably.

“That is our idea of shared prosperity,” he said.