'I'm available to meet one-on-one,' President Ruto to Raila

President William Ruto now says that he is open to holding one-on-one talks with opposition chief Raila Odinga.

In a Twitter statement on Tuesday, while announcing that he was jetting off to Tanzania for a human capital meeting, Ruto extended an olive branch to the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance frontman.

"My friend Raila Odinga, I am off to Tanzania for a human capital meeting to harmonise the expansion of employment opportunities in our continent," said Ruto.

"Am back tomorrow evening, and as you have always known, am available to meet one on one with you anytime at your convenience."

Mr Odinga, speaking to the International Press Association of East Africa on Tuesday, said that many eminent people, both local and international, have tried in vain to bring the two together to help defuse rising tensions between the government and the opposition.

This impasse had led to a standoff between Ruto and Odinga who was spearheading weekly anti-government protests that have led to deaths, injuries, destruction of property and greatly affecting the economy.

Among those who have offered to mediate is Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu, who Raila claims was kept waiting for days after travelling to Nairobi a fortnight ago to negotiate a ceasefire.

"The President of Tanzania came here two weeks ago at the invitation of President Ruto to mediate and she was kept waiting," says Mr Odinga.

"She spent two nights here and it was all in vain. Other people have tried, but he is the one who is resisting so basically knows what he wants."

Meanwhile, President Ruto has previously insisted that there would be no 'handshake' between him and Raila.

Speaking in Kigali in April, during the 9th session of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperatives, Ruto clarified that his willingness to hold dialogue with Odinga was based on ironing out issues that had led to the violence and chaotic anti-government protests led by the Azimio opposition coalition.

The head of state went on to put in context his idea of a no-handshake government saying that his call for peace should not be misinterpreted as the previous handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the Azimio chief.

“If I say there will be no handshake, I know there is a context. Unfortunately for us in Kenya, handshake has a different connotation, and that is the one I am talking about... The handshake that brings the opposition and government into some conundrum, a mongrel and an outfit that is undemocratic, unconstitutional and illegal,” he explained.

Ruto's then sentiments have been echoed by his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, and other members of Kenya Kwanza.

Members of Azimio, among them Raila, have also shrugged off reports that the former premier is looking to be part of a coalition government. 

In May, Raila labelled President Ruto’s government as “too shady” for him to want to get into a political truce similar to his ceasefire with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 9, 2018.

Speaking at the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference (NDC) convened by Kenyatta at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi, Raila said he agreed to bipartisan talks because he did not want a ‘handshake’, with the Kenya Kwanza administration," he said.

“Kenya Kwanza should stop losing sleep over an imaginary handshake. Kenya Kwanza is too shady to be embraced, and that is why we have decided to give dialogue a chance,” the former prime minister, whom Kenyatta had picked as his preferred successor said.