Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and his successor William Ruto were on Friday publicly seen together for the first time since their December 9, 2024 meeting in Ichaweri, Gatundu, when Ruto paid his predecessor a courtesy call.
The two shared a platform at State House, Nairobi, during a joint East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) co-chairs meeting with the panel of facilitators overseeing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process.
Zimbabwe President Emerson Mnangagwa, who chairs SADC, also attended the closed-door meeting.
The sight of Uhuru and Ruto together comes against the backdrop of a politically strained but mutually respectful relationship.
While not sworn enemies, the two are certainly not close allies, following the fallout in the lead-up to the 2022 General Election.
Uhuru, then in power, endorsed Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga as his preferred successor, a move that saw him openly campaign against Ruto—his deputy at the time.
Ruto went on to defeat Raila at the ballot and succeeded Uhuru as Kenya’s fifth President.
Uhuru now attends such forums in his capacity as the African Union-Kenya Peace Envoy and Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process.
When they last met in December, State House described their discussions as centred on national and regional interests.
“President Ruto took the opportunity to reiterate his appreciation and commendation of His Excellency President Kenyatta’s statesmanship in overseeing the peaceful transfer of power after the 2022 elections,” the statement read in part.
It further noted that President Ruto “thanked Uhuru for the goodwill the former President has continued to demonstrate toward his fellow leaders and his support for Kenya’s ongoing progress and development.”
A day after the Ichaweri meeting, while addressing a public rally in Wajir, President Ruto elaborated on the importance of unity and cooperation among the country’s top political figures.
“As leaders, we must continually build bridges instead of creating barriers at a time the country needs collective input to address its challenges,” he said.
Ruto cited the same reason for his decision to work with Raila and to maintain cordial ties with Uhuru, whom he appointed as peace envoy immediately after his swearing-in on 13 September 2022.
