PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta has asked former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to become a special envoy for Kenya.
The initial offer was made on Easter Monday at a private evening meeting at the home of a city businessman in Muthaiga. The meeting was also attended by Deputy President William Ruto.
On Thursday morning Ruto called Raila to repeat the offer and spoke to him for more than ten minutes. He reportedly told Raila that it was important that he worked with Uhuru's administration to unite the country.
The Deputy President emphasized that he and Uhuru were keen to have Raila play the role of an eminent Kenyan locally, in Africa, and around the world.
"He appealed to Raila to consider the role because the Kenyatta administration did not want his experience and international connections to go to waste," said an associate of the Deputy President.
Raila reportedly wished Ruto and the President success as they start their term in office and promised to do whatever he could to help them succeed.
Ruto and Raila agreed to speak again on Thursday evening together with President Kenyatta and agree on a possible second meeting with a clear agenda. It is not known if they did in fact speak again on Thursday evening.
Raila's spokesman Dennis Onyango has confirmed that the two spoke and said the discussion on the issue was ongoing.
"The Deputy President thanked the former PM for his statement on arrival from South Africa to the effect that he and the CORD team were ready to engage constructively. He told Raila that he personally has no hard feelings against the former PM and neither does Uhuru," said Onyango.
Yesterday Raila's aides were in meetings ahead of the Cord retreat this weekend at Great Rift Valley lodge.
The retreat will discuss how CORD will conduct itself inside and outside of Parliament as the official opposition, as well as the role of Raila for the next five years.
At the Easter Monday meeting, the President reportedly wanted to hold a joint press conference with Raila to assure their supporters that they would work together to unite the country.
Uhuru and Ruto were concerned about an interview by Raila broadcast by the BBC shortly after the Supreme Court ruling on Easter Saturday.
Raila told the BBC that Uhuru's victory on March 4 was "predetermined and manipulated by a few technocrats".
"It is a replica of what exactly happened in 2007. What is the point of going to polls if results are going to be pre-determined? Voter apathy will be high in the next five years and Kenyans may look for other ways. We want to avoid people looking for other means," Raila told the BBC.
Uhuru and Ruto won the election with 50.07 percent, just 8,000 votes more than needed for a simple majorit, but a considerable 800,000 votes ahead of Raila who received 43.7 percent.
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