President Uhuru Kenyatta appeared to offer a strong defence of his erstwhile political adversary veteran ODM leader Raila Odinga on Wednesday in Ongata-Rongai.
Revisiting his political battles with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, President Kenyatta said that Mr Odinga was a bonafide Kenyan in spite of their political differences.
"We want peace in our country...We competed with Raila or didn't we? We competed. Does that mean that he is my enemy? Isn't he a Kenyan. Is there any other place he can go to other than Kenya? So why are we fighting? It's ok to compete but we must live in unity (Sisi tunataka amani katika nchi yetu...Tulishindana na Raila hatukushindana? Si tulishindana? Hiyo ni kumaanisha yeye ni adui yangu? Si yeye ni Mkenya? Kuna pahali pengine ataenda isipokua hii nchi ya Kenya? Sasa tunagombania nini? Kushindana ni sawa lakini kuishi ni pamoja)," the president said.
The governing Jubilee Party leader and the ODM supremo publicly set aside their differences on March 9, 2018 after the tense repeat presidential election.
Deputy President Dr William Ruto and his allies have long accused Mr Odinga of plotting to capitalise on the handshake to sow divisions in the ruling party.
Mr Odinga has denied working on a scheme to divide Jubilee only saying that his decision to agree to a ceasefire with Uhuru was to bring the country together and set it on a path of healing.
He said that his focus going forward would be on developing the country as he had promised Kenyans in his political campaigns.
President Kenyatta is on his second and final term with his energies focused on the war on corruption and development projects.