Former Chief Justice Mutunga Predicts a Raila-Ruto Handshake After August Elections

Retired Chief Justice Willy Mutunga says the country may witness another handshake after the August 9th general elections, similar to that between President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga in March 2018.

Mutunga, who spoke on Citizen TV’s Daily Break Show, said the handshake is likely to happen between the two leading presidential aspirants Raila Odinga and William Ruto should there be a threat to peace after the forthcoming elections.

Mutunga argued that Western nations such as the US, UK, and Germany will have to mediate between the two to protect their interests.

“Of course one of the factions is going to lose and if there is a threat of peace, the foreign interests, the Germans, British, and the Americans will just tell them to have another handshake. And so, we should expect Ruto and Raila to have a handshake, consolidate their dictatorship and that’s why the issue of people’s opposition is important,” said Mutunga.

At the same time, Mutunga warned Kenyans against buying into the promises by politicians during the campaign period, saying he doubts whether the current crop of leaders cares about transforming the country.

“The important thing is to talk to the Kenyan people and tell them very clearly that these factions are not going to fulfill their promises, they have never done that in the past and they have no agenda for implementing the constitution which is a blueprint for our development,” he said.

He added: “The political space is occupied by the factions that we see and they have occupied it for the last 58 years and in those years, they have not done anything to convince me that they care about the country’s transformation.”

Mutunga, 74, served as the country’s Chief Justice and the head of the judiciary between 2011 and 2016.