Kenyan President William Ruto has said he is ready to hold talks with opposition leader Raila Odinga in efforts to quell tensions in the country.
Odinga, a veteran politician who served as prime minister between 2008 and 2013, has been leading protests in the country to pressure Ruto’s administration to lower taxes.
“My friend @RailaOdinga, I am off to Tanzania for a human capital meeting to harmonise the expansion of employment opportunities in our continent. I am back (in Kenya) tomorrow evening (Wednesday), and as you have always known, I am available to meet one on one with you anytime at your convenience,” the president tweeted on Tuesday.
Ruto’s message comes after Odinga held a press conference earlier to call out the National Police Service over “unprecedented brutality” on protesters.
“We are witnessing unprecedented police brutality,” Odinga told journalists in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday.
“Police and hired gangs have shot and killed or wounded scores of people at close range,” he said, adding that the violence particularly targeted members of his Luo ethnic group.
Broken campaign promises
Odinga has also accused Ruto of reneging on campaign promises that saw many Kenyans vote for him (Ruto) in the August 9, 2022 presidential election.
During the campaigns, Ruto, under the Hustler moniker, declared himself the champion of impoverished Kenyans and pledged to improve their economic fortunes.
But the 56-year-old rags-to-riches businessman has raised taxes, even as Kenya chokes under a high inflation.
In last year’s Kenyan presidential election, Ruto defeated Odinga, who was preferred by the then-president, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Odinga, 78, unsuccessfully challenged Ruto’s victory through Kenya’s Supreme Court.
Ruto, who had served as deputy president between 2013 and 2022, got 7.18 million votes (50.49%) against Odinga’s 6.94 million votes (48.85%).
