President Uhuru Avoids a Handshake with Ruto at Parliament

A move by President Kenyatta not to shake hands with Deputy President William Ruto has sparked speculation. 

The two met at parliament buildings on Monday to pay their last respects to the late former president Mwai Kibaki, who passed away on Friday aged 90.

Ruto and other leaders including National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, his Senate counterpart Kenneth Lusaka and a host of senior government officials had lined up to receive Kenyatta, who was scheduled to open the public viewing of Kibaki’s body at parliament.

When he alighted from his vehicle, President Uhuru avoided a handshake with Ruto and the other leaders, and instead bowed with his hands clasped. This mode of greetings became popular in the country following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Interestingly, the president was spotted shaking hands with Kibaki’s family members and religious leaders moments later at parliament buildings.

The move triggered speculation and reactions, with a section of Kenyans on social media claiming that Kenyatta deliberately avoided shaking hands with Ruto for some reason.

Lawyer Wahome Thuku, who is also a political commentator, wrote: "Uhuru warmly shaking hands with his education CS George Magoha at State House just 48 hours ago... leo akadecide Kuna Covid".

I love Dantery said: "He is leading as an example...Thank you Mr. president for observing covid protocols".

In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) last month, Ruto said he fell out with President Kenyatta over his handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga.

While he admitted that Kenyatta involved him in the handshake process, Ruto claimed that he was left in the dark on the details surrounding the unity pact.

“The handshake was formed to kill oversight of the government, we didn’t discuss that members of the ruling party would be jettisoned so that members of the opposition can occupy committees in parliament,” said Ruto  

He insisted that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), whose main aim was to introduce changes to the 2010 constitution, was not part of the agreement between them.

“We didn’t agree that this was an exercise in changing the constitution and form an exercise of succession. Everything we didn’t agree became the handshake, expect from the things we didn’t agree about,” said Ruto.