Friday, April 9, 2021 –The alleged meeting between Deputy President William Ruto and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya was as a result of coincidence.
Governor Oparanya while responding to the claims, has dismissed that there was a meeting between him and the Deputy President and that the photos which have been doing rounds are, in the first place, not so current.
He however accepted that they bumped into each other while holding separate political meetings with their lieutenants at the Olare Motorogi Conservancy on Thursday, April 8.
Oparanya then affirmed his commitment to the Orange Democratic Movement ODM Party in which he is the Deputy Party leader alongside Mombasa’s Ali Hassan Joho.
“Those are very old photos of about three weeks ago and have nothing to do with any talks. When people meet in a hotel it doesn’t translate into building an alliance… I am in ODM to stay unless Baba (Raila Odinga) moves out,” Oparanya told a local daily.
On his part, sacked Sports Cabinet Minister Rashid Echesa noted that their meeting with Oparanya discussed nothing else because they happened to stumble upon each other in the same hotel premises and that the two groups were engaged in completely different activities.
“We were told Oparanya was in a different meeting with ODM team in the process we ran into each other and one of the members requested for a photo moment. Nothing else was discussed,” Echesa opined.
Oparanya’s move must definitely attract the attention of the nation owing to fact that he is a key political figure in ODM Party and also a close longtime ally to the former Premier Raila Odinga.
However, on the photos with DP William Ruto, some sections alleged that he was almost planning to ditch ODM for an alliance with Mr. Ruto.
Either, some insinuated that he was representing ODM Party in talks with DP’s team ahead of their planned merger.
Earlier reports had indicated that Ruto used the opportunity to plead with the ODM official to think of how they can work together.