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President William Ruto now says there will be no handshake between him and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Speaking during his first day of a two-day state visit to Rwanda on Tuesday, April 4, the President said he agreed with the opposition to resolve issues raised during demonstrations through a parliamentary process.

“Will there be a handshake? There will be no handshake but there will be an engagement in parliament. Whatever can be resolved will be resolved.

“We have a government and opposition. We don’t want democracy to be undermined. Kenyans want a democracy where the system of checks and balances works,” Ruto said.

Rutoi, Raila truce

Speaking in Nairobi on Sunday, Raila, while calling off anti-government demonstrations that had been scheduled for Monday, April 3, demanded that the bipartisan committee proposed by Ruto be established immediately.

The opposition supremo, however, warned that Azimio would return to the streets within a week should the talks fail.

“We agree that a balanced parliamentary process co-chaired by both sides and backed by experts from outside should proceed. In our view, this committee should be composed with immediate effect with strict deadlines for resolving the crisis facing the country,” Raila said.

“In view of the foregoing, we stand down our demonstrations for Monday but in doing so we want to emphasise that we reserve the right to call for demonstrations should this process bear no fruit. Should there be no meaningful engagement or response from Hon Ruto to our counter-offer, we’ll resolve to resume our demonstrations after one week.”

President Ruto had earlier said the protests called by the opposition chief to push for electoral and economic reforms had left a trail of destruction and loss of lives, threatening the country’s economic stability.

“Three Kenyans, among them a police officer have lost their lives in the protests. More than four hundred Kenyans, including at least 60 security officers have been injured. A Police vehicle was burnt to ashes, while another was hijacked and commandeered by unruly protestors. Two houses of worship were burnt down. Kiosks, supermarkets and a mortuary were looted.

“Our Country’s image and history in the league of Modern Nations has been at stake. The Country’s economy has been hard hit, at a time when my administration is doing everything possible to salvage the economy from the deep hole it was in.

He called on the opposition leader to call off further protests to give dialogue a chance.

“I have listened to the issues raised by my friend, the Honorable Raila Odinga, in times like these, it is not about who is right or who is wrong,” Ruto said in a State of the Nation address from State House on Monday.

“In view of the recent events that led to the loss of lives and property in the demonstrations, I urge my brother Raila Odinga and the opposition to call off the demonstrations and to give this bi-partisan approach a chance for us to take the country forward.”