Speaking during the burial of Baringo Senator William Cheptumo in Bartabwa, the young people urged Raila to reject any pact with the president.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who attended the funeral, shared a video where the youths openly voiced their concerns.
“Tell Raila not to join Ruto,” they told Sifuna as they posed for pictures with him.
Noticing their passion, Sifuna paused and asked them to repeat their message. In response, they shouted in unison, “We don’t want him to join Ruto.”
This warning comes at a time when discussions between Ruto and Raila are said to be nearing a conclusion.
Reports indicate that the president is ready to offer Raila’s camp 50 percent of Cabinet positions and other key government roles in exchange for political cooperation.
A meeting between Ruto and Raila at State House in Mombasa last week reportedly ironed out most of the details of the deal.
Sources say the discussions involved top leaders, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, and Minority Leader Junet Mohamed.
Raila has since been holding consultative meetings in his strongholds in Nyanza and Western Kenya.
He is expected to make a major announcement soon.
Speaking about his possible collaboration with Ruto, Raila has emphasized that his focus is on serving the country.
“We are available to help the continent of Africa, but more importantly, we are also available for Kenya,” he stated.
President Ruto, on his part, has welcomed the idea of working together.
“We close ranks and focus on what we can do for Kenya... We need all hands on deck to achieve this mission and vision,” he said.
If Raila agrees to work with Ruto, he could gain influence similar to what he had during the 2008 coalition government.
Already, several key ODM figures hold Cabinet positions in Ruto’s government, including Opiyo Wandayi (Energy), John Mbadi (Treasury), Hassan Joho (Mining), Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives), and Beatrice Askul Moe (EAC Affairs).
Despite these developments, the strong opposition from some of his supporters, including the Baringo youths, shows that not everyone is in favor of this political move.
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