President William Ruto has revealed that he personally reached out to the late ODM leader Raila Odinga after the 2022 General Election, inviting him and his party to join the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Speaking during Raila’s burial service at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo, Siaya County, Ruto said his decision was motivated by respect and gratitude for Raila’s contribution to Kenya’s democracy.
“I can now reveal that a few months after the election, I looked for Baba. I told him, ‘Prime Minister, you have been my teacher. At this age, I am your son, but in the love of God, I am the President of Kenya,’” Ruto said.
He added that his outreach to Raila was driven by goodwill rather than political advantage. “I told Baba that I wanted to take care of him because he made huge sacrifices for our nation. I wanted to right the wrongs that had been done to him,” he said.
According to the President, Raila never demanded government positions for his supporters. Instead, Ruto himself asked him to recommend a minister from Nyanza. “I asked Baba to give me a minister from Nyanza, and he gave me John Mbadi,” Ruto said. “Today, I am proud that Baba and I made the decision to have John Mbadi as the Minister of Finance.”
Ruto praised Mbadi’s leadership, crediting him with stabilising the economy. “Since he took office, inflation has dropped from 9.6% to 4%, and the exchange rate has strengthened from 165 to 129. Kenya is now the sixth-largest economy in Africa,” he noted.
Ruto described his collaboration with Raila as a symbol of unity and reconciliation. “ODM is now part and parcel of the government of Kenya,” he said. “Our best way to honour Raila is to keep this nation united.”
