Raila Odinga has claimed that Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu was frustrated in her efforts to mediate between him and Kenya’s head of state, William Ruto.
Speaking with the media on Tuesday, July 25, claimed that Ruto invited Suluhu to Kenya to aid the conflicting parties in agreeing to a truce.
However, she was kept at bay for a few days by the current administration, forcing her to return to Tanzania.
“She attempted to mediate but she was kept waiting for days by the other side. Our side was ready and available for talks but the State refused to respond,” Raila told journalists.
The opposition, he claimed, was open to meeting Suluhu and other peace envoys.
Last week, Suluhu was sighted at Maasai Mara National Reserve, where she allegedly met a number of high-ranking politicians from the Azimio la Umoja coalition.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader claimed that Ruto had treated his Tanzanian counterpart with contempt, something that may grossly affect the relationship between the two nations.
“It is Kenya Kwanza that is frustrating any efforts to bring sanity to the country. We are not interested in being a part of the problems in government, we don’t want to eat their bread, all we want is for Kenyans get to put food on the table,” Raila stated.
International Press Association of East Africa (IPAEA) pressed Raila over his push for the government to lower the cost of living and address electoral issues which he claimed that had plagued the August 2022 General Election.
In particular, the International Journalists asked Raila why he had rejected dialogue as a means of peaceful resolution yet he had previously worked out similar approaches.
However, in his defence Raila claimed that President Ruto had mounted a mediatory barricade that had left them with no option but to take to the streets, especially after Bipartisan talks collapsed.
“We have always been open to dialogue, but we don’t want nusu mkate (a coalition government). Our focus is the fact that our people are suffering due high cost of living. That cannot be ignored,” Raila claimed.
When asked if the Azimio la Umoja protesters were exacerbating the economic situation in the country, Raila stated that, in the long run, the demonstration would force the government to act.
Raila, however, acknowledged that the country’s economy was facing uncertain times, and things could even get worse as a result of wrong policies by President Ruto’s administration.
“Economy is hurting, not because of demonstrations but because of the bad policies by Kenya Kwanza… they don’t care about the common people. Azimio would have handled situations in the country differently to the satisfaction of Kenyans,” Raila acknowledged.
