Raila Reveals President Suluhu Tried to Mediate Between Him and Ruto

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance coalition leader Raila Odinga says Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu was unsuccessful in her attempts to mediate between him and President William Ruto.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Raila alleged that Ruto allegedly invited Suluhu to Kenya in order to help the parties involved reach a truce.

But Suluhu had to go back to Tanzania because the current administration had kept her waiting for two days.

“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 international press.

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He asserted that the opposition was willing to speak with Suluhu and other peace envoys.

Suluhu was reportedly seen last week at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, where she met a number of influential members of the opposition.

According to the former prime minister, Ruto disrespected his Tanzanian counterpart, which could negatively impact their bilateral relations.

“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 said. 

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Raila was pressed by the International Press Association of East Africa (IPAEA) over his demand that the government reduce living expenses and fix electoral problems that he said afflicted the August 2022 General Election.

The International Journalists questioned Raila specifically about his decision to abandon dialogue as a way of peaceful resolution when he had previously developed similar strategies.

Raila dclaimed that after bipartisan talks broke down, President Ruto set up a mediatory roadblock that forced them to resort to rioting.

“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. 

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Asked if the protests were worsening the current economic situation, Raila said that the government will eventually be forced to take action as a result of the demos.

However, the former prime minister acknowledged that the economy was in a precarious situation and that President Ruto’s administration’s bad policies may make matters even worse.

“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,” he added.