A section of elders from the Luo, Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities have disclosed that they are the ones who convinced ODM party leader Raila Odinga to enter into a peace pact with President Uhuru Kenyatta following last year’s divisive elections.
Speaking at the Jalaram Hospital in Kisumu on Thursday where they had visited Luo Council of elders chairman Willis Otondi, Kikuyu (GEMA), Luo and Kalenjin (MUYOT) elders said that they master-minded the truce between Kenyatta and Odinga.
“Raila came to meet the elders at the Methodist hotel in Nairobi. It is there that we obviously told him about the need to champion for peace in this country,” said GEMA council of elders chairman Peter Njenga.
On his part, Stephen Oludhe who is a member of the Luo Council of elders barked at a section of politicians, who are not happy with Odinga’s move to join forces with Kenyatta.
“It came about because of the intervention of elders. The elders summoned Raila Amollo Odinga and he was given conditions to go for the handshake,” said Oludhe.
“So we don’t want the blames to go to Raila. Let those missiles be directed at the elders,” he added.
Last month, President Kenyatta and Odinga surprised most Kenyans when they emerged together and announced that they had buried their political hatchet in order to foster peaceful co-existence across the country.
The handshake helped reduce political tension in the country.
To be the first to get the latest Political News updates for free, WhatsApp the word "POLITICS" to 0717410719.