Ford Kenya Leader Moses Wetangula now says he has reconsidered his “Noisy Messy and with Casualties” phrase after deciding to bury the hatchet and forgive his one-time friend and partner Raila Odinga.
The relationship between the once vocal NASA principal Moses Wetangula with Raila Odinga went south after the famous handshake between President Uhuru and Raila Odinga in 2018. In a well-calculated move to tame his influence, Wetangula was stripped off his position as Minority Leader in the Senate.
Wetangula then waxed lyrical and was on war mode how Raila Odinga, leader of a coalition he was part of had stabbed them in the back, by agreeing to a political truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
However, a year is a very long time in politics. Wetangula now says him and Raila Odinga had a candid talk on events of March 9th, 2018 and their relationship is in a perfect condition.
“When President Uhuru Kenyatta met with Raila Odinga and shook hands on the doorsteps of Harambee House, many of us who were with Raila were not unhappy with the fact that there was a handshake but were unhappy with the fact that our partner had put us in the dark when making the deal,” said Wetang’ula during an interview with KTN’s Pointblank.
He said although he had initially fallen out Raila, they later met and iron out issues in a lengthy breakfast talk, a meeting he says was fruitful.
“I have been wronged by Raila but I have forgiven him. We have met, taken breakfast, watched Arsenal together and talked. We must appreciate people in their strengths and weaknesses,” he said.
He explained his initial opposition to the handshake, together with other NASA luminaries was that it was not structured and did not include all of them.
“It is not just myself but also my partners who were taken aback by the handshake. Not because it was bad. We as NASA had called for dialogue and we believed only an inclusive dialogue would bring a lasting solution,” he said.
According to the senator, they met in Athi River after the handshake and told Raila Odinga to his face that people felt betrayed on his decision of having a truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta, that even though it was the right thing to do, he did it the wrong way.