The 2018 Kenya handshake was a political truce made on 9 March 2018 between the then Kenyan President,
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
and former Kenyan Prime Minister,
Raila Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
. The two had been the leaders of opposing political factions amidst widespread political violence and civil unrest, and they had faced one another in the contested
2017 Kenyan general election
General elections were held in Kenya on 8 August 2017 to elect the President, members of the National Assembly and Senate. They coincided with the 2017 Kenyan local elections which elected Governors and representatives in the devolved governmen ...
. Under the "handshake" agreement, both figures agreed to end their political feud.
Background information
![Uhuru_Kenyatta_and_Raila_Odinga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Uhuru_Kenyatta_and_Raila_Odinga.jpg)
Historically,
Kenya
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has been characterized by divisive politics rising from periodical general elections allegedly marred by rigging and subsequent politically motivated violence.
Kenya
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has an extensive record of ethnically mobilized political violence and the exacerbation of militias supported by politicians. Kenya's tribal war traces back to
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911 – 20 January 1994) was a Luo (Kenya), Luo chieftain who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He later served as Kenya's first Vice-President of Kenya, Vice-President, and t ...
, where parties were formed based on one's tribe. Detrimental effects of the disputed general elections have been witnessed since 1997, when Kenya's ruling party, Kenya African National Unity (KANU) unleashed terror in order to coerce the citizens and forge a way forward in their devolution agenda.
The Digo Community was mobilized to fight against the people of the Western and Central parts of Kenya. This resulted in the displacement of more than 10,000 people and the death of 104 innocent civilians.
Reports from the judiciary indicated the existence of vigilante groups funding the then-ruling party led by
Daniel arap Moi
Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He was the country's longest-serving president. Moi previously served as the third vice ...
. Key among them was Jeshi La Mzee. There was a resurgence of conflict between the
Kikuyu Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Gĩkũyũ) mostly refers to an ethnic group in Kenya or its associated language.
It may also refer to:
* Kikuyu people, a majority ethnic group in Kenya
*Kikuyu language, the language of Kikuyu people
*Kikuyu, Kenya, a town in Cent ...
and the
Kalenjin Kalenjin may refer to:
* Kalenjin people
The Kalenjin are a group of tribes designated as Highland Nilotes and are descended from Maliri people ''(thus related to Daasanach of Ethiopia.)'' The Kalenjin are cousins with Datooga people of Tan ...
that persisted until 2013. In 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition, led by
Mwai Kibaki
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers.
He had previously ser ...
, established peace in 2005 when a referendum was held to vote for a newly drafted constitution. People across the divide felt that the national coalition was divided along ethnic lines. This saw the Luo, led by
Raila Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
, break away to form the
Orange Democratic Movement
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement which was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augu ...
.
The events that followed would see
Kenya
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sink into a deep economic crisis as a result of the 2007 and 2008 general elections. The presidential elections were hotly contested between two main opponents,
Mwai Kibaki
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers.
He had previously ser ...
and
Raila Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
with the latter disputing the results that had declared Mwai Kibaki as the winner. He insisted that they were marred by mass rigging, theft, and inconsistencies. This sparked what Kenyans would refer to as exemplifying Kenya as "a cradle of violence" as the elections plunged Kenya into a period of bloodshed and mass killings of innocent
Kenyans
The demography of Kenya is monitored by the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics. Kenya is a multi-ethnic state in East Africa. Its total population was at 47 558,296 as of the 2019 census.
A national census was conducted in 1999, although th ...
. Animosity and enmity were at the peak across different ethnic divides. The observers, like the European Union, noted discrepancies in the election result, which raged fury in people of the
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
Community who were ardent Odinga supporters. This period saw vigilante groups like Mungiki, American Maine, and China Group clashing and terrorizing innocent civilians.
More than 1,300 people lost their lives and at least 650,000 others were displaced, making it the single most detrimental post-election skirmish in Kenya's history.
The
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
then instituted charges of crimes against humanity and inciting to violence on six Kenyans, widely referred to as the "Ocampo Six", among them
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
and the then deputy president of Kenya
William Ruto
William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 December 1966) is a Kenyan politician who is serving as the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the 11th deputy president of Ken ...
. The succeeding elections did not prove different. The general elections in Kenya in 2013 were bitterly contested by two rivals Uhuru Kenyatta of The National Unity and Raila Odinga of the Coalition of Reforms and Democracy. Uhuru was declared the winner, which Raila disputed due to the involvement of the Bio-metric Voter System, which he highlighted had drawbacks. CORD was calling for reforms in the conduct of elections to be free and fair and challenged Uhuru's election in the Supreme Court, which later upheld Uhuru's election.
2017 saw the same contestants face each other in an election that was presumed predetermined by some factions with allegations that the electoral systems had been hacked. The Chief Technological Officer at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Chris Msando, was murdered in cold blood, in an occurrence that seemed like an assassination. Tension rose and the outcome of the election was disputed by the NASA coalition led by Raila Odinga and lawyers like
Miguna Miguna
Miguna Miguna is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. He practices law as an attorney, a barrister and solicitor in Toronto, Canada. Miguna served as a senior adviser to former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga from 2009 to 2011.
Early li ...
, as they felt the electoral commission's systems were compromised and hacked.
The NASA Coalition proceeded to the Supreme Court to seek for the nullification of the elections. The apex court, led by chief justice
David Maraga
David Kenani Maraga (born, 12 January 1951) is a Kenyan lawyer and jurist. He was the 14th Chief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya from October 2016 until his retirement in January 2021.
Early life and education
Maraga was b ...
, agreed and declared the election null and void. A repeat election, held on 26 October 2017, was boycotted by the NASA coalition, leaving Kenyatta with an easy win by garnering 98% of the vote. There was a subsequent period of unrest, with Odinga staging a mock swearing-in ceremony and declaring himself as the People's President. This led to warring factions between the supporters of Uhuru and Odinga followed by mass shootings in opposition areas in the slums and Kisumu.
These events gave rise to the March 9th handshake that brought together Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
The handshake
On 9 March 2018, Kenyans woke to the news that the key leaders, Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta, who were at the helm of the divisive politics and hurling insults at each other, were putting their differences aside and uniting through a "handshake". This was a public declaration to cease all hostilities and find a common ground in the interest of moving the country forward economically and politically. After a prolonged period of turmoil, Kenya was now up on its two feet.
However, politicians allied to The National Super Alliance (NASA) felt that this was a betrayal as Odinga had not consulted them. Although a section of Kenyans perceived it as an act of leaders putting aside their personal interests for the country, there was an element of betrayal brought out by this sudden union in a section of others. It also sparked the 2022 presidential election campaign, with Raila now joining the government, potentially threatening Ruto's presidency.
Significance of the handshake
Raila Odinga
Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a Kenyan politician, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata and businessman who served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He is assumed to be the Leader of Opposition in Kenya sin ...
could now freely visit
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
,
Gatundu
Gatundu is a small town in Kiambu County of Kenya. It is known for the first Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta who lived about three kilometres away from the town, as well as his son, Uhuru Kenyatta, now the 4th President of Kenya and former Member ...
while
Uhuru Kenyatta
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022.
Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...
could in
Kisumu
Kisumu ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Kenya by population, third-largest city in Kenya after the capital, Nairobi, and the coastal city of Mombasa (census 2019). It is the third-largest city after Kampala and Mwanza in the Lake Victor ...
without any animosity from the locals.
On 20 October 2018, Odinga was appointed as African Union's High Representative for Infrastructure Development. It was speculated that the appointment was attributed to the renewed good relations between him and Uhuru, which might have made Uhuru tip him for the job. He effectively resigned from this position on 23 February 2023, citing "challenges to my continued availability for the role" and his desire "to pursue other pressing and urgent" issues. At the time, Odinga had planned (and already engaged in some) countrywide mass demonstrations and had, on 22 February 2023, issued a 14-day ultimatum for President William Ruto to act on alleged electoral injustice and the skyrocketing cost of living or face nationwide protests.
Members of Parliament who had hostility against each other announced an end to the same, that is,
Embakasi
Embakasi is a neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi. It is approximately , southeast of the central business district. Embakasi is considered part of Nairobi's Eastlands area, lying to the south-east of Nairobi County. The Embakasi proper covers ...
East Member of Parliament, Babu Owino and Starehe's Charles Njagua.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenya handshake (2018)
Politics of Kenya
Electoral violence
2007 riots
2008 riots
2007 in Kenya
2008 in Kenya
Political riots
Conflicts in 2007
Conflicts in 2008
December 2007 events in Africa
January 2008 events in Africa
February 2008 events in Africa