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US Senator Coons urges Ruto, Raila to seek reconciliation in constructive dialogue

US Senator Coons urges Ruto, Raila to seek reconciliation in constructive dialogue
From left US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, President William Ruto and Delaware Senator Chris Coons at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, August 18, 2023. PHOTO/William Ruto(@WilliamsRuto)/X
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US Senator Chris Coons has broken his silence after a series of meetings with President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga amid a standoff pitting the two leaders.

In a post on X, formally Twitter, the Delaware lawmaker urged the two leaders to seek reconciliation through constructive dialogue in a bid to settle their differences that recently saw Raila call for mass action to protest against the rising cost of living and alleged electoral injustices.

“An honor to meet again with @WilliamsRuto, @RailaOdinga, and @USAmbKenya while in Kenya. I encourage all parties to seek reconciliation and find a way to constructively engage each other on critical challenges facing Kenya,” Coons wrote on Saturday, August 19.

Coons left the country on Friday night after several days in Kenya.

He ended his tour with talks with President William Ruto at State House Nairobi yesterday.

In a statement after the talks, President Ruto said the senator, credited with brokering a handshake between Raila and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018, appreciated Kenya as one of the most vibrant democracies in the world.

He stated that the two leaders also held discussions on trade relations between Kenya and the US, global security issues, climate change and the progressive path of devolution in Kenya.

“Kenya is keen on enhancing its relations with the United States to expand trade and investment opportunities for citizens of both nations. This mutually beneficial partnership will extend to climate change mitigation efforts and environmental conservation,” Ruto said.

Also present were US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman and Foreigner Affairs Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua.

The meeting came barely a week after Coons held a similar meeting with Raila on Sunday.

The meeting came a day before bipartisan talks between the Kenya Kwanza government and the former prime minister’s Azimio la Umoja- One Kenya coalition kicked off in Nairobi.

Coons was in the country in March this year and held talks with Raila, Uhuru and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over the political situation in the country. President William Ruto was out of the country at the time of the visit.

The Delaware lawmaker is believed to have influenced the decision for the warring parties to agree to bipartisan talks in May when the opposition suspended further protests to pave the way for dialogue.

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