This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta spoke at the Bomas of Kenya, recounting his first tense meeting with ODM leader Raila Odinga that led to the Handshake.
The atmosphere in the room was described as 'cut with a knife' due to the resentment the two had carried over the years for each other. The two leaders sipped tea for over 45 minutes, engaging in small talk only occasionally.
“Haikuwa rahisi (it was not easy),” the president narrated. “We had tea, and for about 45 minutes without really saying anything to each other. This was because the anger we had towards each other.”
The tense meeting ultimately led to the formation of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which aimed to put aside their differences and work towards putting Kenyans first.
President Kenyatta has urged leaders to follow in their footsteps and put aside their differences to work towards the betterment of the country.
