Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga on Monday, February 24, 2025, spoke after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki at an event hosted by President William Ruto at State House, Mombasa.
In what many can view as a protocol glitch, DP Kindiki spoke first and invited Raila, who then invited Ruto to close the event.
According to protocol, the deputy president speaks before the president and invites him to close the event, but in Mombasa, Raila bypassed Kindiki, sidelining him from the usual order.
Raila was being hosted by President Ruto following his return to the country after the African Union Commission (AUC) election defeat.
“Your excellency I just want to take this opportunity to thank you and also thank Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the continued collaboration during our quest as a country for the leadership of the African Union Commission and even as that activity did not bring us success, we are grateful because it has solidified our unity,” DP Kindiki said before he proceeded to welcome Raila to make his remarks.
Raila dismisses govt funding reports
Raila on his part dismissed reports that the government spent billions to bankroll his campaign for the AUC chairmanship bid.
Raila termed reports claiming that the government spent Ksh13 billion on his campaign as misleading.
“I have seen billions being quoted, someone is talking about Ksh13 billion spent on Raila’s campaigns. I do not know which world those guys live in or whether they know what a billion means. A billion to do what?” Raila wondered.
According to Raila, the government only facilitated his transport and he never lived luxuriously during the campaign period.
Raila added that some countries offered him accommodation and even food during his visits.
“The money that was spent was the money that was necessary just to hire transport to travel around and we were not living luxuriously. We were eating whatever was provided to us,” Raila stated.
“Other countries were very generous, they provided accommodation and so on. The government gave what was required and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was available 24-7,” he added.
Way forward
He also promised to give a way forward after consulting widely and exptressed his willingness to serve the continent in any capacity if required.
“I am available to help the continent of Africa but more importantly, I am also available for Kenya. I will consult widely and in due course announce the way forward shortly. Watch this space, I will be talking again,” Raila stated before he proceeded to welcome the head of state to close the event.
As much as the unfolding of events in Mombasa might be viewed as a protocol glitch, it might not have been deliberate as the event was meant to welcome Raila back to the country, and also address some of the issues surrounding his AUC campaigns.
President Ruto while speaking at the event also promised to carry out consultations and find out a proper way of working with Raila in what he termed as his bid to unify the country further.
Following Raila’s AUC loss, President Ruto’s allies led by Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei have been pushing to have Raila join the government as the Prime Minister.
They are banking on the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report to have Raila make a comeback as the country’s premier.
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