Editor's Review

Details of a meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have emerged with the ODM leader said to have visited State House on Tuesday evening after arriving from the Coast tour.

Details of a meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have emerged with the ODM leader said to have visited State House on Tuesday evening after arriving from the Coast tour.

Sources close to Odinga disclosed that the former premier went to hold talks with the President on Tuesday evening after Kalonzo Musyoka's recent statement that it was unlikely to support the ex-premier again for the presidency in 2022. 

"I am not a weakling...Raila and I have never sat to discuss 2022. I will be the most stupid person on earth to support Raila Odinga for president for the third time without a measure of reciprocity," Kalonzo declared during a recent interview with NTV. 


Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga/ Photo Courtesy

It also emerged that the talks of a coalition between Jubilee and ODM were to remain guarded until the Kalonzo pronouncement which might have forced Kenyatta and Odinga's lieutenants to go public. 

A section of President Uhuru's allies in the Jubilee Party had earlier said that the coalition talks with ODM were hurting the party, especially with the by-election in Kimbaa, Kiambu County. 

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu mentioned that the President's backyard had not received the news well. 

With days remaining to the July 15th Kiambaa Constituency by-elections, hon Wambugu was concerned with the timing of the talks as Jubilee party reels from poor performance in recent by-elections.

Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju stated on June 18th that the party was holding talks with ODM that could culminate in the two parties supporting one presidential candidate in 2022.

“We (Jubilee) want to have active engagement with ODM as we head towards 2022 elections in terms of coming up with an alliance which is in the cards,” Tuju stated.