Threats to withdraw Raila Odinga's Visa motivated handshake - Musalia Mudavadi claims

Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi has claimed that foreign influences forced the handshake deal between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM party leader Raila Odinga.

Speaking while on his tour of the United States, Mudavadi told Kenyans in diaspora that there had been threats of withdrawing visas belonging to opposition leaders and their families before the former Prime Minister struck the deal with the president.

"The secret is that slowly Visas were being canceled. And when Visas are canceled, they don’t just cancel yours alone. They cancel yours, that of your wife, children, and relatives.

Musalia Mudavadi with Amb. David Gilmour, the US Director of the Office of East African Affairs. Threats to withdraw Raila Odinga's Visa motivated handshake - Musalia Mudavadi claims Pulse Live Kenya

"I want you to go home knowing that I, Musalia, do not believe in cheating you. I believe in telling you the truth. So what gave birth to a handshake is personal survival rather than patriotism," he explained.

Foreign nations played no role in handshake - Raila's spokesman

Responding to the statement by Mudavadi, Raila's spokesperson Dennis Onyango denied any foreign influence on the handshake deal.

"This is a homegrown solution where foreign nations had no role to play and Mudavadi didn't know, and even now doesn't know, what happened. In any case, the two leaders agreed to have the handshake before the then US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in Nairobi to avoid a situation where it would be perceived the West had pushed them," Onyango stated.