Deputy President William Ruto has in a turn of events lauded the March 9, 2018, handshake that brought together President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Premier Raila Odinga.
In an interview with K24's Anne Kiguta at his Karen residence on Sunday, the DP said that he was aware of the looming handshake days prior, after being briefed by Uhuru.
And after weeks of questioning Raila's intentions with regards to the same, he on Sunday lauded the truce, terming it a major step towards sealing national unity.
Ruto who has repeatedly accused Raila of plotting to use the handshake to cause confusion within the ruling Jubilee Party in a change of heart said that the handshake is one of Jubilee's avenues as it pursues the dream of a united nation.
"Bringing this country together is at the heart of the Jubilee Party. The handshake is actually an extension of Jubilee spirit, of bringing communities together," he said.
The DP also lauded the post-handshake Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which seeks to further seal the Nation together by identifying the main problems and their lasting solutions.
Though he praised it as an attempt of goodwill towards harnessing the ruling and opposing sides, he discouraged any attempts by the involved parties to use it to push for separate personal goals.
"BBI was about bringing this country together. It is not a replacement for the Constitution and the legal framework that exists. It is an attempt of goodwill to harness the goodwill between two opposing sides," he observed.
Raila has repeatedly claimed that the 14-member BBI taskforce should arrive at a referendum as the remedy to the nation's recurrent political problems and injustices.