Orengo and Anyang’ Nyong’o sharply differ over Raila-Uhuru handshake

Divisions have emerged in NASA leader Raila Odinga’s camp over the fate of the peace deal made with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Two of Odinga’s closest advisors have taken sharply contradicting views over whether the peace deal should be given a chance or it should be scrapped.

Siaya Senator James Orengo, who is also the Minority Leader in the Senate, called on the former Prime Minister to call off the peace deal with the Jubilee Leader.

The fiery lawyer stated that the harassment and second deportation of NRM General Miguna Miguna had shown that the Jubilee team was not ready to address the issues of adherence to the rule of law that were supposed to be at the heart of the agreement.

"Uhuru has to be held accountable now, Any engagement with him in any process would be an act of impunity because he is condoning blatant and brazen defiance of court orders...The handshake rises or falls on the pedestal of the rule of law, and if the State is out to undermine the rule of law, then it has no basis. The joint statement by the two also talked about rights and respect for the rule of law," the senator said.

He added that if Odinga went ahead to embrace President Kenyatta, then the ODM leader would be guilty of cleansing the evils committed by the Jubilee team.

Orengo is one of Odinga’s trusted allies but was conspicuously missing during the famous handshake made on the footsteps of Harambee House.

Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, has however taken the view that the NASA leader should push on with the peace process agreed with President Kenyatta.

“If Kenya continues in its present direction, it would well go the way of South Sudan, Somalia or Congo…So, why should we so consciously dig our own graves?

“Uhuru and Raila simply found themselves at the bottom of a hole and they decided to stop digging," Nyong’o stated.

The Kisumu County boss clarified that the agreement did not amount to a coalition government, but was a step towards inclusivity.

"There was never any assumption by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga that their handshake provided a magic wand for the instant solving of Kenya's problems, nor was the handshake meant to put in place a government of national unity, which would absorb all interests left out in the current Jubilee administration,” he said in an Op-Ed.