President Uhuru Kenyatta has said that he will hand over power while smiling to his outgoing Deputy William Ruto during the swearing-in of the latter.
However, the outgoing President said he will only recognise Azimio One Kenya Coalition flag bearer Raila Odinga as his de-facto leader.
According to Uhuru, it is his constitutional right to hand over power after his tenure finally comes to an end.
“I will hand over power smiling because it is constitutional. Aluta continua but I will leave knowing Raila is my leader,” the outgoing president said during an Azimio party Parliamentary group meeting.
Prior to today’s meeting, Kenyatta had made it clear his preferred candidate to succeed him was the former premier.
However, Odinga failed to garner enough votes to topple his political nemesis William Ruto who is now the president – elect after the Supreme court upheld the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) decision to declare him the winner in the just concluded elections.
“Don’t think that you haven’t denied Raila,” Kenyatta told Kenyans, “You have denied yourself the opportunity of bringing the country together,” Kenyatta said.
Odinga had earlier accused the electoral commission of stealing his victory and even filed a challenge at the Supreme Court which dismissed his evidence as ‘hot air.’
Kenyatta was chairing the Azimio meeting alongside Odinga to build consensus on the party’s candidates for the National Assembly and Senate top leadership posts.
He urged Azimio members to show off their true colours and showcase if they are truly behind the coalition or they are just joyriders.
“Tomorrow, I want to see whether you are in Azimio, if you are in Azimio stay in Azimio,” Kenyatta told the coalition members ahead of a vote in Parliament, insisting, “We are the majority,” Kenyatta said.
Ruto is set to take oath on Tuesday next week, effectively succeeding Kenyatta as the country’s fifth president.