Raila’s party dismisses DP claims on Handshake

 Hillary Mageka @hillarymageka

The Orange party has dismissed Deputy President William Ruto’s claims that Raila Odinga is scheming to abandon the Handshake.

Ruto dismissed Raila’s criticism of the Jubilee government’s delivery of the 2017 election promises, instead blaming the Handshake with the President and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) project for the unfulfilled pledges.

“We know that our friend is planning to bolt out (of the Handshake), but first, he wants to cause more chaos in Jubilee.

We want to tell him that if he is dissatisfied with things, he can leave. If this is not working for you, you can go back to the opposition,” the DP said in Londiani, Kericho, a day after pitching tent in Kajiado on Saturday and Bomet on Friday.

In a rejoinder, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, in a statement, termed Ruto’s assertions as untrue, adding that it has been the DP’s “Tanga tanga wet dream” for years that the Handshake collapses.

“It will remain just that. No one is leaving,” said Sifuna.

Ruto, while terming Raila and his allies as being hypocritical in their criticism of the Jubilee government, defended Jubilee’s development record, saying it was beyond reproach.

 “The Jubilee government has more achievements than any administration since independence,” he added.

But according to Sifuna, the DP must prepare to confront difficult conversations such as the issue of rotational presidency.

“The presidency must be a club of 44 not just two,” Sifuna added in a strongly worded statement.

On his part, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma accused Ruto of plotting to wreck the handshake between Uhuru and Raila.