Raila: Uhuru suggested I dialogue with Ruto during Gen Z protests of 2024
By Arnold Ngure, July 20, 2025ODM Party leader Raila Odinga has revealed that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta was behind his coming together with Ruto at the height of the 2024 Gen Z protests.
Speaking during an interview at his Karen home in Nairobi on Sunday, July 20, 2025, Raila indicated that the deployment of the military after the June 25, 2024, protests, when Parliament was stormed, had presented numerous challenges.
He disclosed that the country was on the brink of being taken over by the military, and a last-minute call by retired President Uhuru pushed him to sit down with Ruto and save the country.
Charged environment
“In that charged environment, one of my colleagues, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, called me. He was in the US and suggested that although he knows I don’t want to talk to Ruto, in the interest of the country, I need to find a way of talking to him,” Raila said.
Raila says that the discussions were so ripe that he did not have to look for Ruto; instead, the head of state reached out to him.
“I did not even have to look for Ruto; he asked to come and see me and we agreed that we should talk,” Raila said.
Military takeover
“There was a danger that ultimately, the military would come and take over. We were almost at the brink of that happening, and there were speculations on what was going to happen next. We had seen what had happened in other countries in a similar situation.”
In their conversation, Raila states that he told Ruto the problems had been brought about by Kenya Kwanza’s failure to implement the recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).
“When we had discussions, I told him that these issues had come because he did not implement the NADCO report, and under these circumstances, we must have a broader conversation to bring people together. He was reluctant, but eventually, he agreed and announced that he was going to convene a forum for Kenyans to have a discussion on the issues in contention,” he added.