William Ruto has stated that he is willing to engage with Azimio leader Raila Odinga and to compromise on matters that would lead to the nation’s development. The Head of State stated during a church service in Kwale County on Sunday that he met with the opposition leader and his team this week.
However, Ruto imposed a condition on the opposition before of the discussions, which would be led by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. That no leader will ever again plot violent protests in the country.
“I talked with the opposition leader (Raila) and his team, I told them that we are a democratic country guided by the constitution and law. We can disagree on many issues but no present past or future leader will plan violence destruction of property. That will never happen again in Kenya,” the President said.
“We can talk on other things but we are not going to negotiate about the safety of Kenya. We have agreed that violence and destruction of property will not be in the equation of the politics and governance of Kenya. The other things we can talk,” he added.
He also addressed an outpouring of rage from Azimio leaders, who chastised Kenya Kwanza for neglecting to include the cost of living as a discussion issue in the parliamentary bipartisan negotiations, which are expected to continue. According to him, the administration is already addressing the issue of rising living costs.
“Cost of living issue is in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto, that is where the whole plan is. And we are already solving it. The cost of living cannot be addressed through protests,” he said.
Regarding the worry, Ruto stated that the government’s attempt to decreasing the cost of living through cutting manufacturing costs is already working. Raila and Ruto’s negotiations will be overseen by a 10-member committee comprised of leaders from both parties. Obasanjo will preside over the meetings between the participants, who would comprise MPs from both parties as well as other persons from outside parliament.
