President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake partner Raila Odinga have lined up a series of political rallies, disguised as development tours across the country starting next week as the two leaders embark on popularising the handshake at the grassroots.
Speaking at Ndakaini in Muranga country, ODM leader Raila Odinga announced his tour with the president was the beginning of a new political journey in their efforts to bring Kenyans together ahead of 2022.
Read: Uhuru-Raila joint countrywide tours to kick off next week
”When I said we were working on something, some people did not believe me. But now it’s starting from here. The resolve to unite Kenya as a result of the Handshake begins here. Next week we shall be in Nyanza, then move to Western then Coast. We shall criss-cross the entire country to unite Kenya as one nation with Uhuru standing on one side and Raila on the other,” Raila said.
Multiple sources confide to this publication, the choice of Migori and Homabay counties by the two leaders was strategic, given the intention of their tour and what they plan to achieve.
One source says, Homabay and Migori counties are bedrocks of the ODM party and Raila Odinga’s core support bases and were the most affected by the 2017 political rhetoric which saw roads blocked during the repeat elections, with Jubilee and its candidate Uhuru Kenyatta being declared political enemies.
”Homabay is the ODM party bedrock and Raila’s core support base. Nowhere else were roads blocked by metal rails in the repeat polls of 2017, except Migori and Homabay. Not even Siaya. It is where reconciliation starts. The same will be done in Kiambu in the coming days,” the source says.
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According to Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, President Uhuru and Raila Odinga gave a peek of what is coming ahead when the two leaders jointly toured Ukambani. The county boss says politics is one of the priorities of the tours, with the two leaders (Raila and Uhuru) planning to move to every part of the country, popularising their new pact.
”Matters to do with politics and the upcoming election season will also be a priority. Eastern has been done, Western is also coming then thereafter to the rest of the country,” Ms. Waiguru said.
