President William Ruto has said he is ready to meet opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The Head of State made the statement through his twitter account on Tuesday, July 25 evening saying he his headed to Tanzania but will jet back to the country tomorrow.
He added that he will be available to meet Raila Odinga at his convenience.
“My friend @RailaOdinga, I’m off to Tanzania for a human capital meeting to harmonize the expansion of employment opportunities in our continent. I’m back tomorrow evening, and as you have always known, I’m available to meet one on one with you anytime at your convenience. WsR.” His tweet reads.
We are Open for Dialogue
The call for a meet up by the president came hours after Azimio leader Raila Odinga held a press conference at the International Press Association of East Africa.
During the conference on the crisis in the country, Mr. Odinga revealed that the opposition party is open to dialogue.
However, he stressed that they are not looking for a power-sharing deal.
Also Read: Raila Blames Dilapidated Economy on Govt’s ‘Bad Policies’
“We have always been open to dialogue, but we do not want nusu mkate,” he responded.
Moreover, the Azimio boss told the press that Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu had offered to mediate talks between the opposition and the Kenya Kwanza government but the later did not show up.
According to the opposition leader, President Samia Suluhu visited the country two weeks ago and spent two nights in the country.
However, she was kept waiting for two days until she eventually left the country.
“Two weeks ago, Mama Samia Suluhu came to Nairobi to try and mediate but she was kept waiting for 2 days and went back,” he said noted.
“Many eminent persons both local and international have tried to mediate between Azimio and Ruto’s side but they have been kept at bay by Kenya Kwanza.” He added.
High-Cost of Living
Nevertheless, President Ruto’s extension of an olive branch to Raila comes at a time when the government is facing a lot of criticism over the Finance Act 2023 provisions and especially the increased taxes and high cost of living.
Also Read: Ruto Leading the Country in Wrong Direction – Infotrak Poll
As such, the opposition organized weekly protests seeking to have the President William Ruto-led government to lessen the burden.
“The most important discussion in our country today is the high taxes, the rising cost of living and the ensuing protests,” Raila noted on
Furthermore, Azimio coalition has organized anti-government demonstrations since early March to mount pressure on the government to act on the grievances, resulting in the destruction of property and deaths as police clashed with protesters.
