President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged politicians and those criticizing the handshake to mature and stop insisting the handshake between him and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is simply a game of politics. Speaking during the official launch of the Building Bridges Initiative Report, he said some leaders had the wrong perceptions ever since he and Raila came together for the sake of Kenya’s peace. “The problem with politics is that when you join hands with this guy, another person will say you are the enemy, if you join another guy, someone else will say you are an enemy….let us now be mature,” he said amidst cheers from those present.
He urged politicians not to divide Kenyans, “We are here talking about their rights, we are here talking about their peace, once we assure them and we give them an enabling environment, these 47 million people are mature enough to elect the leaders they want, ours is to enable them to do so..” he said. He added that now is not the time to keep on politicking and that the season to do so will reach.
The President noted that what has plagued Kenya’s election politics for long is that after elections those who’ve lost always feel left out, adding that a system had to be found that could bring everyone on board, “Every Kenya wherever they are should feel he is victorious.”
He also narrated the uncomfortable meeting he had with Raila Odinga prior to the handshake, saying they were unable to have a full conversation for around 45 minutes, and there was a tense environment due to the concluded general elections, and all the drama involved but they managed to address the issues facing Kenya “It was tense, we were just sipping tea, asking each other, how are the kids…how is home…how is your wife?!” he said, noting they couldn’t discuss any substantial issue for sometime. He said it was a hard pill to swallow but they had to come together for the greater good of Kenya ultimately.