This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
On July 9, 2020, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna addressed speculation that the handshake pact between President Uhuru Kenyatta and former premier Raila Odinga was on the verge of collapse.
According to Sifuna, the handshake deal was not pegged on the desire to share Cabinet and committee slots but was strictly founded on the nine-point agenda outlined in the Building Bridges Initiative.
"This handshake was never about us getting positions, so this handshake is not going to collapse because of committee chairmanship," Sifuna said in an interview with Spice FM.
He emphasized that ODM was committed to the course of ensuring the handshake would achieve its intended purpose and expressed confidence that their Jubilee counterparts were well-meaning.
Reports of a looming fallout between ODM and Jubilee ensued last week after members of the two outfits failed to agree on how they were going to share committee positions.
However, the two factions reached a truce on Tuesday, July 7, following a five-hour-long meeting between National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya and minority chief whip Junet Mohamed.
