In a strong rebuttal to recent claims by Opposition leader Raila Odinga, Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has firmly denied that former President Uhuru Kenyatta played a role in shaping President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Kioni criticized Odinga’s assertions that Kenyatta had urged him to engage with Ruto to address the national crisis exacerbated by Gen Z protests. Odinga suggested that Kenyatta had pushed him to facilitate dialogue with Ruto to restore stability, alleging that the country was on the brink of collapse due to the unrest.
Kioni, however, dismissed these claims as misleading and inaccurate. He highlighted a letter from Kenyatta dated July 25, which expressed sorrow over the loss of lives during the protests and called for elected officials to listen to the people’s voices. Kioni argued that Kenyatta’s stance has consistently been critical of Ruto’s administration and its policies, which he described as harmful to Kenyans.
“Kenyatta’s position is clear: he opposes aligning with a government responsible for widespread hardship and corruption,” Kioni asserted. “The idea that Kenyatta would endorse a partnership with Ruto’s administration is fundamentally flawed.”
Kioni further accused Odinga of using Kenyatta’s name to deflect blame from his own controversial decision to collaborate with the Kenya Kwanza regime. He suggested that Odinga’s attempt to form a broad-based government was a misstep, driven by a decline in his own popularity among Kenyans.
“Dragging other people’s names through the mud does not absolve you of your own poor decisions,” Kioni remarked. “When you make a mistake, it’s important to own up to it rather than shifting the blame.”
The Jubilee Secretary General also criticized Odinga for allegedly failing to keep the Azimio team fully informed while negotiating behind closed doors, citing the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report as an example of Odinga’s lack of transparency.
“The NADCO issue exemplifies how Odinga operates—engaging with government figures like Obasanjo without full transparency to his team,” Kioni noted.
In conclusion, Kioni dismissed the notion that Kenyatta had encouraged Odinga to negotiate with Ruto for the sake of national unity. He emphasized that Kenyatta’s recent actions and statements do not support Odinga’s claims.
“Odinga’s claims about Kenyatta’s supposed encouragement to engage with Ruto are simply not true,” Kioni stated. “Kenyatta’s recent positions clearly show he does not support this government.”
