Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga has told President William Ruto that he will hold talks on condition that a mediator has to be present.
Odinga’s remarks come barely a day after Ruto invited him for a meeting in efforts to quell tensions amid tax-hike protests led by the opposition.
"He (Ruto) is not somebody you can trust, he keeps changing words that is why I insist there must be a mediator between us," Odinga told AFP news agency on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, President Ruto said he was ready to hold talks with Odinga to find a long-lasting solution to Kenyans’ grievances.
“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,” Ruto said.
Odinga had earlier accused Ruto of blocking mediation attempts by Samia Suluhu, the President of the neighbouring Tanzania.
The veteran politician, who served as Kenya’s prime minister between 2008 and 2013, said Suluhu had travelled to Kenya for the sole purpose of brokering a truce between Ruto and Odinga, but the Kenyan leader “refused to meet her.”
