Details of Ruto's closed door meeting to tame Raila ahead of protests

President William Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza brigade have agreed on a strategy that will be rolled out to counter protests called for by opposition leader Raila Odinga starting next Wednesday.

The president is reported to have met 241 MPs, governors, senators and woman representatives at State House where a strategy to paint Odinga as a man out “to destroy Kenya” in pursuit of his interests was agreed on.

Kenya Kwanza politicians rejected any truce between the president and the opposition leader, noting that the 2018 ruined the then ruling Jubilee party and the economy.

President Ruto is reported to have endorsed the decision, recounting how costly the Uhuru-Raila handshake was to him.

“There will be no handshake. I am one person who knows how costly the handshake was to Kenya and me personally. It can’t happen. The people made a decision on August 9, sending us to the government and our competitors to the opposition.

“I will not fail you. We will work together and we will succeed. We have a historical opportunity to change Kenya and it wouldn’t be easy. We must make difficult but crucial decisions,” Ruto told the meeting as reported by The Standard.

President William Ruto during a thanksgiving ceremony for Interior PS Raymond Omollo in Homa Bay on July 15, 2023. Pulse Live Kenya

Unmasking Raila and protesting property

An MP who attended the meeting told the publication on condition of anonymity revealed that lawmakers were instructed to embark on a grassroots drive to “protect their constituents’ lives and property”.

READ: Stop or face decisive action & same treatment as Raila - Ruto tells Uhuru

“He (Raila has no interests of Kenyans at heart but he is using the crisis to make Kenyans believe so. We have been tasked to unmask him and show our people how he has managed to beat the government and access government through the backdoor.

“Unlike in the past when Raila had his way, we agreed that he will have to wait for 2027 to try his luck in the presidency.” Gatanga MP Edward Muriu told the press.

Mobilizing resources

The position was reiterated by the president in his speech at Oriwo Boys High School in Karachuonyo Constituency during the thanksgiving ceremony of Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo.

“I want to reassure Kenyans that we will mobilize every resource to protect the property, lives and interests of every Kenyan as we go forward.

"As a nation, we must forge unity of purpose and agree that it is not going to be business as usual and we are not going to use certain provisions of the Constitution to destroy property and cause mayhem; the same Constitution mandates government protect lives and property and interests of all other Kenyans," Ruto said.

The opposition has called for three days of national protests to pressure the government to address the rising cost of living and ditch the Finance Act 2023 among other demands.