A move by President Kenyatta not to shake hands with Deputy President William Ruto has sparked speculation.
The two met at parliament buildings on Monday to pay their last respects to the late former president Mwai Kibaki, who passed away on Friday aged 90.
Ruto and other leaders including National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, his Senate counterpart Kenneth Lusaka and a host of senior government officials had lined up to receive Kenyatta, who was scheduled to open the public viewing of Kibaki’s body at parliament.
When he alighted from his vehicle, President Uhuru avoided a handshake with Ruto and the other leaders, and instead bowed with his hands clasped. This mode of greetings became popular in the country following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Interestingly, the president was spotted shaking hands with Kibaki’s family members and religious leaders moments later at parliament buildings.
The move triggered speculation and reactions, with a section of Kenyans on social media claiming that Kenyatta deliberately avoided shaking hands with Ruto for some reason.
Lawyer Wahome Thuku, who is also a political commentator, wrote: “Uhuru warmly shaking hands with his education CS George Magoha at State House just 48 hours ago… leo akadecide Kuna Covid”.
I love Dantery said: “He is leading as an example…Thank you Mr. president for observing covid protocols”.
In an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) last month, Ruto said he fell out with President Kenyatta over his handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga.
While he admitted that Kenyatta involved him in the handshake process, Ruto claimed that he was left in the dark on the details surrounding the unity pact.
“The handshake was formed to kill oversight of the government, we didn’t discuss that members of the ruling party would be jettisoned so that members of the opposition can occupy committees in parliament,” said Ruto
He insisted that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), whose main aim was to introduce changes to the 2010 constitution, was not part of the agreement between them.
“We didn’t agree that this was an exercise in changing the constitution and form an exercise of succession. Everything we didn’t agree became the handshake, expect from the things we didn’t agree about,” said Ruto.
It is Uhuru’s prerogative to…
It is Uhuru’s prerogative to shake hands with any body. He chose to shake hands with Kibaki’s family and religious leaders as he saw fit.
I won’t blame the president for refusing to shake Ruto’s hand. He is the man who planned to assassinate the President two times so that he could ascend to the presidency through the back door means. Ruto could also rub u known poison in Uhuru’s hand so the president could die a slow death. Ruto cannot be trusted at all.
It is quite difficult for…
It is quite difficult for the president to trust Ruto at this stage. Ruto might do a Saitoti on Uhuru with his dirty hands.
Ndugu Ruto ni yuleyule. …
Ndugu Ruto ni yuleyule. Hajabadilika hata kidogo.
https://youtu.be/ZatYzXJDBmw
https://youtu.be/kuLa2YKGy5c
https://youtu.be/OsiRoC4yQpg
I won’t touch Ruto’s hands…
I won’t touch Ruto’s hands myself. Uhuru has to stay clear from Ruto. Anyone who plans to assassinate some body is a thug.
MP Alfred Keter calls Ruto…
MP Alfred Keter calls Ruto the biggest thief that ever lived or crawled on this earth. He is correct because Ruto is a scam artist. There is no bone of statemanship in Ruto. Tell your stupid to the birds @asista. Wewe nugu..
Ruto is always coming out in…
Ruto is always coming out in such situations as a statesman while Uhuru continues looking like more my brothers wife. He is showing our children his personal hate to others. One wonders if Uhurus problem with Ruto is political or more personal.
@asista – you can play dummy…
@asista – you can play dummy and stupid all you want but Ruto is not a statesman.
Wewe kubafu mafi ya Kuku takataka. A murderous criminal Ruto who killed 37 kikuyu women by burning them, 1500 pev, and a stolen Muteshi farm in the midst of Ruto created skirmishes to benefit from the weak Kenyans.
If that’s what @asista calls statesmanship, Kenyans do not need that thief to be anywhere near the leadership of kenya.
My Betty boosey, the only…
My Betty boosey, the only right in all that you said is Muteshi. All others are as boosey as Betty. Listen Ruto bought the Muteshi land from those land conman. Only later for the right owner to show up. Who knows Muteshi himself and his accomplices could have played part in this conning scheme. If indeed he was behind it, he gained twice. Fraudulently selling land then claiming it back with Ruto paying a fine.
Ruto is not likable at all;…
Ruto is not likable at all; even the children hate him because he tear-gassed many of them and destroyed their school.
And 2 million kipsigis won’t vote for him because of the way he has treated MP Alfred Keter.
Take your nonsense to your…
Take your nonsense to your kalenjin thieves. We don’t want Uhuru to shake Ruto’s dirty hand.
Stanley, keep it that way…
Stanley, keep it that way and keep your mtu wa banki together with stinking hangover booze away from Ruto.
Your brother’s wife is Ruto…
Your brother’s wife is Ruto’s secret lover. That’s why they are both the same as you admit here. Quite surprising you are a Ruto sycophant while he has been trying to eliminate your kipsigis tribe. Ruto uses other lunatics like Oscar Sudi, Murkomen, etc to do his dirty work.
Just look at Ruto’s bitterness toward MP Alfred Keter. Is Ruto a man to be trusted by any body? Tell that to the Kenei, Yebei and Juma families. Stop your nonsense.
Mutai, eliminate is your…
Mutai, eliminate is your daydream. Democracy reigns. And especially in UDA.
Just take a quick look at yourself and will realize you are not even close to a match to Sudi let alone Murkomen..
Why would you think it’s ok for Uhuru to fight Ruto yet itt wrong for Ruto to fight Keter?
Who invited that con to the…
Who invited that con to the ceremony anyway?
I was wondering about who…
I was wondering about who invited Ruto here. He is the most unwanted character there. Uhuru has really put up with a lot of Ruto’s cannaving crap.
Mugikuyu. How you wish…
Mugikuyu. How you wish Kibaki was one of Mama Ngina’s ?. Unfortunately he is not and the Kibaki family are decent people. They cannot afford that kind of drama.
Tell that to your mother …
Tell that to your mother @asista. She may be the only one stupid enough not to know that Ruto opposed everything good Kibaki did. Ruto who caused the country to burned down in 2007 was opposed to Kibaki sharing the government with Raila. Ruto opposed both constitutional amendments that Kibaki initiated. Ruto was fired for stealing in Kibaki government and the long list goes on. So call your mother and try to justify Ruto’s hypocritical love for Kibaki. You must be really stupid to assume Kenyans have forgotten how Ruto tried to bring the Kibaki government down. Wewe mafi ya Kuku Shetani.
@asista – please don’t tell…
@asista – please don’t tell us about our kikuyu people. We are tired of kalenjins trying to divide the Kikuyus so that you can burn us alive just like you sick Ruto did in 2007. Kikuyus are not ready to be kalenjinized by thieves. Yes, we will eat Ruto’s stolen money but we know where our votes will go. Stop your kalenjin madness. We have had enough of your shit.
Ruto will be prezo I promise…
Ruto will be prezo next 3 months I promise anyone reading this article. You can trash him, but be informed the guy is popular among the vote rich Kenyan areas. RAO will be face the same generational curse his octogenarian dad faced. He will be so close yet too far. My advice is for the Azimio diehards no to go to clean the statehouse like they did in 2002 in Nakuru after one Kikuyu FORD-K Nakuru candidate now deceased called Kamangara mislead them to do and they got clobbered so hard by GSU and lost their only possessions the bicycles…don’t be fooled by Uhuru’s juvenile behavior my dear Azimiolites.
There will never be a Ruto…
There will never be a Ruto presidency in kenya. Take that to the Bank near you Barracks you fool.
The 2 people are Drunks who…
The 2 people are Drunks who Nolonger see Eye to Eye. One is Drunk with Scotch Whiskey and the Other with YK92 Corruption.
This is a script that they…
This is a script that they know the media will bank on to get readership. Don’t you see both of them smiling towards each other ? They are the best of the buddies to each other, people!
I really do not care for any…
I really do not care for any politician. They all lie every time their lips move. The only thing I would worry about is were all nursing homes in America to close, because without rear ends to clean, I will be homeless, hopeless, and voiceless.
This shows the maturity…
This shows the maturity level of politics and POLITICIANS in KENYA.
But, if RUTO becomes the next president, UHURU will be kissing his a$$.
Folks just remember one thing, there are no sworn enemies or permanent friends in POLITICS.
@Kanini, Yeap.In politics,…
@Kanini, Yeap.In politics, especially in african countries, there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends. The relationships are deliberately fluid for no one knows when the other would come to the rescue,or destruction.We can see how candidates,and public officials as jostling,and angling for the best change of being in the next regime.
@kora – would you ever shake…
@kora – would you ever shake a hand of a man who have made two attempts to assassinate you? We can all assume Ruto trying to have Uhuru impeached is politics, but trying to kill Uhuru so Ruto can gain power through the back door is unforgivable. Even Uhuru is a very kind man to give Ruto the hand gesture greetings. I would have made Ruto’s life a living hell!!!
You guys are making abig…
You guys are making abig deal out of this “non handshake”.. reading too much into it.They both bowed with hands clasped. Why should Uhuru extend his hand for shake,and not Ruto his Junior? It could have been a big deal if one of them had stretched out his hand and the other ignored it,and preferred to bow.Even then,its still not a show of”enemity” between them.