The two political rivals in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition Nasa leader, Raila Odinga have held a rare meeting on Friday and resolved to let go their differences as they call for peace.
The meeting which was held at the Harambee House in Nairobi comes months after the two politicians contested the 2017 presidential elections.
Friday’s meeting is also coming ahead of the visit of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Kenya on his tour of Africa.
In a short joint press briefing, Raila Odinga said “In the past we have given a lot of attention to institutional reforms in the hope of changing our country. The time has come for us to confront and address our differences.”
The Nasa leader further said “My brother and myself have come to say this dissent must end. We’re all sailing in this one ship we must come together and remove the water that’s sipping into our ship before we all sink.”
Meeting Uhuru Kenyatta at Harambee House. https://t.co/iaJphU9Ire
— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) March 9, 2018
“We have agreed to unite the country and we say that the divide ends here,” Odinga added.
President Kenyatta on his part said there was the need for a new beginning for Kenya. “We have agreed that our country is bigger than any one of us” he said.
“Elections come and go but Kenya remains. We have agreed that starting today we will begin talking about what ails our country. This marks a new beginning for our country.”
Raila Odinga boycotted the re-run presidential election in October last year and declared himself the “people’s president” this year which sparked political tension in Kenya.
The government of Kenya has accused the opposition leader, of attempting to overthrow a legitimate regime following his inauguration as “people’s president”.
Source: Africafeeds.com
