President William Ruto visits former President Uhuru Kenyatta at his Gatundu home on December 9, 2024. Photo/PCSPresident William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta were conspicuously absent from the first anniversary memorial service of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Migwena Cultural Grounds in Bondo, Siaya County, on Thursday.
Their absence drew attention given their complex political relationships with Raila, marked by fierce rivalry, unexpected alliances and political cooperation that shaped Kenya's political landscape until his death on October 15, 2025.
Uhuru and Raila were bitter political opponents during the 2017 General Election, which Raila challenged at the Supreme Court after Uhuru, then deputised by Ruto, was declared the winner.
The two later surprised the country on March 9, 2018, when they publicly embraced on the steps of Harambee House in Nairobi, signalling a political truce that became known as the “handshake”.
The agreement followed months of political tension after the disputed 2017 election and was preceded by secret talks between the two leaders.
The handshake ushered in a period of cooperation between Uhuru’s administration and Raila’s opposition movement, culminating in the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), which sought to introduce wide-ranging constitutional changes.
Uhuru later backed Raila’s presidential bid in the 2022 General Election, but the former Prime Minister lost to Ruto.
Ruto, who had been Uhuru’s deputy during the first term of his presidency and later fell out with him, was also Raila’s fierce political opponent in the 2022 election.
However, their relationship changed after the Gen-Z-led protests against the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
Ruto subsequently reached out to Raila, leading to a political rapprochement that culminated in the formation of the broad-based government bringing together Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The partnership gave Raila and his allies a significant role in government even as he maintained that the arrangement was aimed at promoting national unity and addressing the concerns raised by young Kenyans.
Their absence also came amid renewed political tensions between the two former allies.
In recent days, Ruto has accused Uhuru of financing opposition activities, claims the retired President has dismissed.
There had been concerns that the presence of both leaders at the memorial could create political tension given their recent exchanges.
