Raila Odinga Joins Ruto For State House Banquet [PHOTOS]

Former Prime Minister and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga made a rare appearance at State House in Nairobi, his first since President William Ruto was elected into office.

Photos seen by Viral Tea and shown on television showed Raila chatting with National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi and National Security Advisor Monica Juma.

Raila was at State House to attend a state banquet in honour of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom (UK) who are in the country for a four-day state visit.

The Azimio la Umoja leader was also seen interacting with Tourism Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala, with CS Mutua at some point captured adjusting the coat of Raila during their casual conversation.

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga together with political dignitaries at State House Nairobi during the Royal dinner on October 31, 2023. /PCS

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo later joined Raila, Wandayi and Malala and had a brief conversation with them.

The state banquet dinner prepared to host King Charles III in the country was an elegant affair consisting of refectory tables elegantly set up at the State House, adorned with golden-themed chairs for the dignitaries attending the event.

The banquet was also seen as an opportunity for King Charles to make his speech regarding his visit to Kenya.

Speaking at the event, President Ruto stated that Kenyans cannot live as prisoners of the past but would not turn their backs on historical actions and omissions.

"Formal British presence in Kenya was proclaimed in 1897 by an order-in-council, which inaugurated European settlement and the displacement, dispossession and disenfranchisement of native Africans, paving the way for brutal colonialism.

"We cannot live as prisoners of the past. Neither can we go far into the future if we turn our backs on historical actions and omissions whose legacies encumber our present,” he stated.

He however commended King Charles for his expression of willingness to acknowledge the painful aspects of shared history between the two countries saying that while there have been efforts to atone for the death, injury and suffering inflicted on Kenyan and Africans by the colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations.

“While there have been efforts to atone for the death, injury and suffering inflicted on Kenyan Africans by the colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations,” President Ruto noted.

On his part, King Charles III acknowledged the painful past and especially the pain inflicted on Kenyans in the struggle for freedom more than 60 years ago.

The King, who spoke after President Ruto at the State Banquet, revealed that he is seeking to better understand Kenya's painful past and will interact with communities affected.

“It is the intimacy of our shared history that has brought our people together. However, we must also acknowledge the most painful times of our long and complex relationship. The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret,” said the King.

“In coming back to Kenya, It matters greatly to me that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities were grievously affected,” he said.

The remarks by the two leaders come amidst calls to have King Charles apologise for the excesses of British colonial rule on Kenyans during the colonial period between 1901 and 1960.

President William Ruto with King Charles III at Uhuru Gardens on October 31, 2023. /PCS