Jalang'o: Why I didn't brief Raila Odinga before meeting President Ruto at State House

Lang’ata Member of Parliament Jalang’o defended his meeting with President William Ruto on February 7, and explained why he did not brief opposition leader Raila Odinga ahead of the visit to State House.

Jalang’o was among nine opposition legislators who met President Ruto, sparking uproar from their fellow party members.

Speaking during an interview on Wednesday, he said that the ODM Party leader had granted permission for all ODM leaders to engage with President Ruto only on development matters that benefit Kenyans.

Lang'ata MP Jalang'o speaking during an interview on February 8, 2023 Pulse Live Kenya

He divulged that he had previously sought Odinga’s nod to accompany President Ruto for the launch of an affordable housing project in Lang'ata in October 2022, so on Tuesday, he did not need to seek permission from his party leader again.

“I did not have a reason to call him (Raila) or ask because he had already given us a key to work,” Jalang’o said, adding that “the people of Lang’ata don’t care who is president and who is not. What they care about is the delivery of the mandate they gave me.”

According to the MP, President Ruto had invited him to discuss development projects in Lang’ata and after arriving at State House, he found that other MPs had also been invited for a meeting with the head of state.

President William Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Lang'ata MP Jalang'o at State House on February 7, 2023 Pulse Live Kenya

The ODM MP said that the meeting comprised MPs from Nyanza and that he was invited in to sit despite being elected in Nairobi.

He explained that Ruto took the legislators through the pledges he had made during his recent tour of counties in Nyanza.

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“I was lucky to be part of the meeting as much as I am from Nairobi. They told me to sit in because I come from the regions where they represent being a leader it was only noble that I sit there.

“They followed up on every single project that Ruto had promised when he was in Nyanza and the reason for this meeting was a follow-up,” Jalang’o said.