Former President Uhuru Kenyatta pulled out of the Ethiopian peace talks that were to take place in South Africa this Saturday at the last minute.
In a letter sent to African Union President Mohammed Faki on Friday, Uhuru said that he will not attend the talks because they conflicted with his schedule.
“Regrettably, I wish to notify your good office that I will not be able to attend the AU-Convened Peace Talks scheduled for October 8, 2022 in South Africa owing to conflicts in my schedule,” the former president said.
He however asked the African Union to give him clarity and modalities of the talks going forward to facilitate his preparations and participation.
“However, in the interim and as you consider the possibility for another date for the peace talks, I would be grateful to receive further clarity on the structure and modalities of the talks, including but not limited to the rules of engagement for all the interlocutors invited,” Uhuru further said.
Political analysts however say that the former does not have any engagements and he just decided to miss the event because of other reasons.
The first reason according to Lee Makwiny is local politics. Apparently, Kenya Kwanza is keen on isolating Raila Odinga and if Uhuru would have accepted the role, he would have played into William Ruto’s game plan. By appointing Uhuru for the peace envoy job, Ruto also wanted to make the former president report to him. Previously, the two leaders were not seeing eye to eye. Ruto’s intention was to be superior to Uhuru.
Secondly, the Rigathi Gachagua factor might have contributed a lot in Uhuru’s decision. On the day the new administration took over, Gachagua did not think twice about attacking and haranguing Uhuru and his administration, yet the whole of Africa was watching. Gachagua’s remarks might have angered Uhuru such that he even boycotted the Statehouse luncheon on the fateful day.
Finally, Ruto’s Thursday visit to Ethiopia could also have played a huge role in Uhuru’s last minute decision. The head of state visited Ethiopia to attend the launch of Safaricom Ethiopia. The visit might have changed Ruto’s interest and now Uhuru saw no need of taking up the role. Uhuru could also have used the opportunity of Ruto’s visit to convey his apology for missing the peace talks.
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