Raila retracts statement on meeting with Ruto, Museveni

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition party leader Raila Odinga has now seemingly taken back his words on a recent meeting with President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni.

Mr. Odinga says he had gone to Uganda to visit President Museveni to seek his support for his African Union Commission Chairmanship bid.

The opposition chief, who spoke on Wednesday during the second day of the Homa Bay County International Investment Conference, intimated that he was not aware President Ruto would also be attending the same meeting.

According to him, Presidents Ruto and Museveni met to discuss an oil crisis that was bedevilling the two neighbouring nations.

“I have been running around trying to get support from different Heads of State. I was in Namibia just the other day and I went to the President of Uganda after I had talked to him to go and ask for his support,” he said.

“We met there with Mr Ruto who had also gone there to talk about issues they are having with oil, the G to G with his Energy minister.”

This now contradicts Mr. Odinga’s own statement just two days ago, in which he said Museveni had invited him for a joint meeting with Ruto, in which his AUC candidacy was discussed and both Heads of State resolved to support it.

The opposition leader made the revelation in a post on social media platform X attached with the now-viral pictures of the three leaders at Museveni’s Kisozi country home with his famous Ankole cows grazing in the background.

“Several days ago, I accepted an invitation from President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for a joint meeting with President William Ruto today to discuss the deepening of regional integration within the East African Community,” the Azimio boss said in a the statement posted on February 26, 2024.

“Crucially, at the urging of President Museveni, we also discussed my candidacy for Chairperson of the African Union Commission. I am very grateful to President Museveni for strongly endorsing my candidacy and to President Ruto for fully backing it.”

The photos triggered mixed reactions from Kenyans online, and the fresh remarks on the meeting have also served to stir up the pot even further.

Raila Odinga: Let me respond to some issues being raised. I am not going anywhere, I am around. I have been running around trying to get support from different heads of state. I went to the President of Uganda after I had talked to him to go and ask for his support. We met there… pic.twitter.com/9bpBUAzs4A— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 28, 2024