Opposition leader Raila Odinga and Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru have agreed to ease their strained relationship.
Raila and Waiguru have not been best of friends after he linked her to the multi-million scandal at the National Youth Service (NYS).
The scandal erupted during Waiguru’s tenure as Devolution CS. She has since denied any wrongdoing.
Yesterday, Waiguru met Raila at his Capitol Hill office, where the two agreed to work together and continue spreading the message of reconciliation.
The leaders said they buried the hatchet in the spirit of last March 9 handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila, who was recently appointed African Union Special Envoy for Infrastructure.
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Raila, through his Twitter handle, said: “I held a meeting with Governor Anne Waiguru and agreed to let bygones be bygones and leave the matter of the NYS scandal in the hands of investigators. She said her case against me is now settled in the spirit of reconciliation that the country has embarked on.”
Waiguru said she would withdraw the defamation case she filed against the former Prime Minister in 2015.
The governor had claimed Raila defamed her character by associating her with embezzlement of Sh791 million at NYS, when she headed the ministry.
Waiguru also took to twitter to break the news of her meeting with Raila: “Just had a meeting with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on the outstanding matter in court. In the spirit of cohesion and reconciliation in the country, the matter stands settled.”
The two later posted a picture shaking hands.
Raila had also filed a suit to have the governor subjected to a lifestyle audit. He wanted her to indicate the properties she owned and her total income when she headed the ministry. The case was dismissed a year ago.
In February, Waiguru asked the High Court to proceed with the case she filed against Raila in her efforts to clear her name.
Waiguru also sued Raila’s colleagues in the Opposition; former senators Boni Khalwale and Johnson Muthama, for linking her to the theft.
But during yesterday’s meeting, Raila and Waiguru did not talk about the cases against Khalwale and Muthama.
Waiguru has reconciled with Deputy President William Ruto, who had also linked her to the NYS scandal.
There have been claims that Ruto may pick Waiguru as his running mate in 2022 following their reconcilliaion.
Raila and Waiguru said they also discussed the status of devolution in Kenya during their meeting, and agreed to exchange views frequently on how to address the challenges facing counties.
“We also deliberated on matters of devolution. Raila Odinga affirmed his support for devolution,” said Waiguru, who is also the vice-chairperson of the Council of Governors.
