David Ndii, the Economic Advisor to President William Ruto, suggested on Saturday that the government may consider a handshake with opposition leader Raila Odinga to ensure stability.
Ndii, who chairs Ruto’s Council of Economic Advisors, defended the appointment of fifty Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) in March to support the twenty-two Cabinet Secretaries, stating that they were crucial to building political capital for the government’s survival and political stability.
Ndii blamed Odinga’s anti-government protests for impeding the government’s economic renewal efforts. He suggested that the government could “buy” Odinga with taxpayer money, but added that taxpayers would gain nothing from it.
This statement emerged amid efforts to convene bi-partisan talks in Parliament to prevent the revival of anti-government protests by Odinga, who has refused to acknowledge Ruto’s victory in the 2022 presidential election.
Odinga has already named seven lawmakers to participate in the parliamentary process, while Ruto’s side dismissed proposals for mediation that would result in a settlement similar to the 2018 truce between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Odinga.
If the talks fail, Odinga threatened to take his supporters back to the streets, and Azimio would push for a constitutional review to end what he called “an imperial presidency.”
