[Oburu Oginga (left) with Raila Odinga. President Uhuru Kenyatta is said to have endorsed his nomination to EALA. Photo/Nation]
President Uhuru Kenyatta was keen to have Oburu Oginga clinch vital nomination to East African Legislative Assembly, reports the Nation.
Despite his bitter rivalry with Oburu's younger brother Raila Odinga, Uhuru is said to have instructed Jubilee MPs to back Oginga as a signal that political differences did not amount to personal hatred.
"I met Aden Duale and we agreed that they support Oburu as a signal to Kenyans that Raila and Uhuru do not have personal differences," said John Mbadi.
Raila,72, has refused to recognize uhuru's victory with a section of youthful NASA leaders pushing for his inauguration as president.
And with Jubilee numerical strength in the assembly, Oburu would have easily fallen due to political rivalry between Uhuru and Raila, with sources intimating that Uhuru was also keen to have Oburu in EALA due to his 'economic knowledge'.
"The president also wanted Oburu because of his prowess on matters economy. He respects him for his contributions towards economic advisory," another Jubilee MP told the Nation.
During the Grand Coalition government, Oburu was Uhuru's deputy in the Ministry of Finance which has since been renamed Treasury.
More often than not, Uhuru and Raila have exchanged jibes, a trend that also degenerates to their ordinary supporters.