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By AFP<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday endorsed his former arch-rival for the country\u2019s top job, weeks after their parties joined forces ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have chosen Raila Odinga without any opposition to be the fifth president of Kenya,\u201d Kenyatta told a cheering crowd numbering thousands in the capital Nairobi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement brings together two of Kenya\u2019s top political dynasties, who have a long history of opposing each other at the ballot box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in 2018, Kenyatta and Odinga stunned the country when they shook hands and declared a truce after post-election violence in 2017 left dozens of people dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last month, Kenyatta\u2019s Jubilee party announced that it would join the Azimio la Umoja (Quest for Unity) coalition headed by Odinga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Saturday, Kenyatta declared his backing for the veteran opposition leader, saying: \u201cWe don\u2019t have any doubt that we have a team captain in Raila Amolo Odinga.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Odinga, 77, responded, saying that the pair\u2019s journey from bitter electoral rivals to political partners \u201chas been the most unlikely in the history of our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI accept the nomination with absolute gratitude and dedication to our people,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The announcement came after Kenyatta\u2019s previously anointed successor William Ruto, who also intends to contest the presidential election, was sacked from Jubilee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ruto, 54, was initially anointed by Kenyatta as his successor but found himself marginalised after the 2018 pact between the president and his former foe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ruto has positioned himself as a leader looking to upend the status quo and stand up for the \u201chustlers\u201d trying to survive in a country ruled by \u201cdynasties\u201d \u2014 a reference to the Kenyatta and Odinga families which have dominated politics for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The East African powerhouse has traditionally been ruled by presidents from the dominant Kikuyu tribe like Kenyatta or the Kalenjin tribe like Ruto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s contest is shaping up to be a two-horse race between Ruto and Odinga, who belongs to the Luo tribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A former political prisoner and prime minister, Odinga has secured the support of at least 26 parties which are now part of the Azimio la Umoja coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But his image as a fiery anti-establishment leader has taken a knock following \u201cthe handshake\u201d with Kenyatta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The duo have unsuccessfully tried to introduce sweeping constitutional changes, claiming that the reforms would help to end repeated cycles of election violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 1,100 Kenyans lost their lives in 2007 when a disputed election result sparked tribal violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reforms \u2014 popularly known as the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI)\u2013 proposed expanding the executive and parliament to more evenly divide the spoils of victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it was seen by critics as a way to enable Kenyatta \u2014 a two-term president who cannot run for a third \u2014 to remain in power by establishing the post of prime minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government has appealed a court ruling that rejected the proposals and said Kenyatta could even be sued in a civil court for launching the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By AFP Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday endorsed his former arch-rival for the country\u2019s top job, weeks after their parties joined forces ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections in August. \u201cWe have chosen Raila…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[717,1722,2249,2248],"class_list":["post-6688","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-elections","tag-kenya","tag-raila-odinga","tag-uhuru-kenyatta"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n