Ruto Declines Ramaphosa's Mediation Offer, Odinga Says

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has said President William Ruto declined South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's offer to mediate talks between them. 

While President Ruto has agreed to meet Raila for talks, the former prime minister insists on having a third-party mediator present. Despite expressing his willingness to engage in dialogue, Raila has expressed doubts about President Ruto's trustworthiness in the absence of a mediator. Ramaphosa and Raila share a strong bond dating back to 2007 when Kofi Annan appointed Ramaphosa as the lead mediator during the political crisis following the disputed presidential election outcome. 

"I insist there must be someone between us. President Ramaphosa wants to come but he (Ruto) has refused. President Suluhu is there," Raila 

However, the then-government led by Mwai Kibaki rejected him, citing bias. Ramaphosa later withdrew his offer after the Party of National Unity rejected him on claims of close business ties with Raila. Raila, who attended Ramaphosa's first presidential inauguration in 2017 with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, stated on Wednesday that he would have no objections if the mediator is a former head of state. The former Prime Minister has been open about his willingness to engage with President Ruto's Kenya Kwanza government.

Despite his public appeal for a dialogue on Tuesday, Raila believes that President Ruto is still taking Kenyans for a ride. Raila had previously claimed that Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu came to Kenya two weeks ago to mediate the bi-partisan talks but no progress was made during her two-day visit. In a recent address to the international media, Raila mentioned Suluhu's visit for the first time.

Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi now believes that the meeting between Ruto and Raila, which is yet to take place, is more about their egos. He says that the communication channel used by the President is not important but rather the choice of words used for the invitation.