This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
On November 15, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta held a meeting with leaders from Central Kenya at Sagana, a move that has been widely welcomed by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The party's chairman, John Mbadi, has come out to express the party's full support for the President's remarks and resolutions made during the meeting.
According to Mbadi, the ODM is grateful to President Kenyatta for remaining focused on the Handshake and the BBI, an initiative between him and ODM leader Raila Odinga. The party believes that these efforts are crucial in uniting the country and addressing its pressing needs.
Speaking to the press, Mbadi said, "We have now had the benefit of reviewing and fully understanding the import of President Uhuru Kenyatta's recent political activities especially his Friday meeting with leaders from Central Kenya region as part of the on-going effort to unite the country. On behalf of the Orange Democratic Movement and all Kenyans who are keen to see a united country at peace with itself, I wish to thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for remaining focused on the Handshake and BBI, which are fundamental instruments in the effort to remake the Kenyan nation."
The ODM also commended President Kenyatta for describing the Kibra elections as peaceful, a move that the party believes will have a positive impact on the country as a whole.
"We join the president in thanking the people of Kibra for the significant role they played in ensuring that the elections were peaceful. With that, the people of Kibra won their place in history for taking a leading role in the remaking of the Kenyan nation," Mbadi added.
The party echoed President Kenyatta's sentiments that the Handshake is not about 2022 politics or individual presidential ambitions, but rather about the country's future and its posterity.
"President Uhuru Kenyatta and his brother Raila Odinga have said it before and the president said it again in Sagana; the handshake and the BBI are never about 2022 and any individual leader's presidential ambitions. It is about Kenya and it's posterity. It is about the country staying united and focused in addressing its pressing needs and urgent challenges through a consultative and inclusive process of national rebirth, now and into the future," Mbadi said.
