The faces behind the Ruto-Raila political agreement

Mr Mohammed was also critical of the ceasefire reached by Mr Odinga with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was also a key envoy of Mr Odinga in securing the deal with President Ruto. Mr Obasanjo was in the country in the run-up to the formation of the new cabinet.

On the other hand, President Ruto had a small team consisting of the Majority Leader in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah and his counterpart in the Senate Aaron Cheruiyot

From numerous interviews with some of the players, it emerged that most of the meetings were held at night at Mr Tuju’s Entim Sidai in Karen, while the rest were held at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation (JOOF).

Mr Tuju confirmed meeting some of those involved in the talks but denied any significant involvement in brokering a political deal. He said he was a Jubilee member so could not broker a deal on behalf of ODM.

He also confirmed his participation in the meeting at the SKM centre a day after President Ruto nominated ODM chairman John Mbadi, Minority Leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi, Wycliffe Oparanya and Hassan Joho.

“It is true that I was there in the morning. Oparanya, Kioni, Munya and Kalonzo were also at the meeting,” Mr Tuju said.

Mr. Kioni in an interview for Nation revealed details of the July 25 meeting. He said Mr Tuju tried to persuade Mr Kalonzo to support the deal between the president and Mr Odinga.

“Tuju spoke as someone who was sent from State House. He was either speaking on behalf of someone in the government or someone who was going to join the government,” Mr Kioni said.

Mr Oparanya, Mr Kioni said, told the meeting about his offer in the Cabinet during the meeting. But we told him to reject it because this is a government that has “completely collapsed”.

For Mr Odinga’s politburo, joining forces with President Ruto was the lesser evil, although from what we gather it was a preemptive strike as some of Azimio’s partners have reportedly already made contact with DP Gachagua for a possible alliance in the next elections.

Then came the attack of Generation Z.

The prevailing sentiment in Mr. Odinga’s headquarters was that everyone would lose if the Kwanza regime in Kenya fell. A regime change in such circumstances, at a time when there is no properly constituted electoral body, would mean a military takeover and the marginalization of the political class, the sources said.

Some say Mr. Kalonzo has already started talking about Kamba being part of GEMA for the 2027 elections. Mr. Kalonzo is said to be leaning towards Vice President Rigathi Gachagua ahead of the next elections.

“The Western Wing has raised concerns with Azimio as to why Kalonzo can speak freely about Gem and possible collaboration with Gachagua, but the problem arises when Raila agrees to work with President Ruto,” a senior Azimio official said.

But Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua, a close ally of Mr Musyoka, said they had no apologies in seeking to close ranks with the Gema communities because they share a common historical background. He said the Kama were maliciously removed and it was in the interest of the communities for them to join forces before the next elections.

Mr Odinga’s team met for the first time on July 16, five days after President Ruto dissolved his Cabinet and announced plans to form an outright government. The meeting at Entim Sidai was attended by Mr Tuju, Mr Junet, Prof Oloo, Mr Oburu and National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi.

A follow-up meeting on Thursday at the same venue was attended by Mr Odinga along with Mr Oburu, Mr Mohammed, Mr Ager and Prof Oloo. The meeting was hosted by Mr Tuju.

Later that day, Mr Tuju was said to have led a team comprising Mr Junet, Prof Oloo and Mr Ager to a meeting with President Ruto, who was accompanied by Mr Ichung’wah. The meeting is said to have lasted past midnight.

On July 19, when the president announced the first batch of 11 appointments, Mr Odinga flew to Dubai amid reports that there were differences within Azimio and ODM over whether to accept the president’s offer. There were also reports of disagreements over some of the portfolios that Dr Ruto had offered to the opposition.

The team was to meet again on July 21 to take a position on the President’s offer. At the meeting, the candidates committed to taking their places.

Mr Tuju’s assistant, Steve Mwanga, confirmed some of the meetings that took place at the restaurant. “Tuju, being a politician and the leader of the country, it is normal for him to hold such meetings,” Mr Mwanga said.

Mr Odinga also met with President Ruto at least twice before the former prime minister flew to Dubai. According to sources, Mr Odinga is said to have told President Ruto that the terms of engagement must be clearly defined and must cover the issues that Azimio has been raising since last year, as well as the concerns raised by Generation Z.

However, President Ruto stated that he must first form a government and only then address the issues raised by the opposition and protesting youth.

Mr Odinga’s team also visited the State Capitol where they struck a deal for ODM to fill four positions – Energy, State Treasury, Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, and Mining and the Blue Economy.