Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has reiterated the sentiments of national integration addressed by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga

during the burial of Phoebe Asiyo this Friday, August 8, 2025, in Homa Bay County.

Through a statement on his X page, Duale stated that the government remains committed to achieving an inclusive and united nation where every citizen of the nation has a regardless of their social or political origin.

Inclusive nation

“Our solemn duty is to unite as one people, bound by a shared vision and collective responsibility, and propel Kenya towards its full potential. We are firmly focused on building a prosperous, inclusive, and equitable nation where every citizen has a place and a voice,” he stated.

The CS affirms that Kenyans have a common vision of responsibility and would not allow the country to degenerate into sectoral and ethnic politics.

“We refuse to let our country regress into the divisive and destructive politics of ethnicity. To the naysayers who doubt our resolve, watch us transform this country for the better,” he added.

His message of unity was ostensibly precipitated by the call for national unity that dominated the talks from the principals of the broad-based government early in the day at the funeral of Asiyo.

Raila on national cohesion

During the function in Nyanza, Raila dismissed the critics of the arrangement and particularly those clamouring for President Ruto’s exit as distractions that lacked substance. The ODM supremo affirmed the government’s commitment to serve Kenyans.

In a pointed critique, Raila even addressed the ‘wantams’ chants and the ‘cousin’ tag, referenced by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as counterproductive to national unity.

 “We are all Kenyans; do not propagate the fallacy that Kenya is sectionalised. Whether one hails from the coast, the Rift Valley, or the highlands, every Kenyan is integral to the fabric of this nation. This notion of ‘cousins’ does not hold water. Are some Kenyans cousins while others are not? Are those not labelled cousins any less Kenyan?” he questioned emphatically.

Raila additionally affirmed that his decision to join a broad-based government with President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was aimed at safeguarding Kenya’s stability

“We as Kenyans know where we have come from; we were in a dire state sometime last year. There was a probability of Kenya degenerating into a failed state because of people who do not understand our history as a country,” he said.

He defended the coalition as a peace-building measure, declaring, “We sacrificed so that there could be peace in this country, and that’s why we are here today. I do not regret what we did; we did it in the best interest of our country, and Kenya must move forward.”