Uhuru Handshake
On March 9, 2018, five months after a contested 2017 election and opposition boycott, Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga appeared together on television, shook hands, and announced political reconciliation. The "handshake" was a seismic political realignment that surprised Kenya's political establishment, international observers, and ordinary citizens. It signaled that Uhuru's second term would be defined by elite consensus rather than competitive democracy.
Political Context
After the October 2017 re-run election and Raila's boycott, Kenya was deeply fractured. Opposition supporters mobilized in urban areas, particularly Nairobi and coastal regions. Raila had declared himself "People's President" and threatened non-cooperation with the government. Economic growth was slowing due to political uncertainty. International investors were concerned about instability.
Uhuru faced a dilemma: his second term had low legitimacy, and opposition mobilization could trigger instability. Yet his party, the Jubilee coalition, was fragmenting. Deputy President William Ruto was building his own political base in anticipation of 2022. Uhuru needed to consolidate power and stabilize the political environment.
Raila, having been excluded from power through electoral defeat, faced diminishing political leverage. His party (ODM) had dwindling resources. Street mobilization had energy but risked exhaustion and state repression. Some within his coalition urged engagement with Uhuru to preserve political relevance.
The Handshake
The dramatic moment occurred on March 9, 2018, when Uhuru and Raila appeared together at a Nairobi hotel, clasped hands, and made a joint statement pledging cooperation. Neither had announced the meeting to the public or their supporters. The surprise and symbolic weight of the gesture dominated subsequent coverage.
In remarks, Uhuru stated that Kenyans were tired of political division and that the handshake represented commitment to unity. Raila similarly emphasized putting divisive election disputes behind them and working toward national development. The tone was conciliatory, though neither leader provided detailed policy commitments.
The event was widely interpreted as a grand political realignment. Uhuru was acknowledging Raila's political standing and incorporating him into governance structures. Raila was accepting electoral defeat but preserving his political relevance. Both were signaling that national interests transcended electoral competition.
Institutional Mechanisms and Outcomes
Following the handshake, Uhuru appointed Raila to an advisory role on regional integration and African affairs, though without formal cabinet position. Raila's party (ODM) began cooperating with the government on legislation. State resources, previously withheld from Raila-supporting constituencies, began flowing to opposition areas (particularly coastal region and Western Kenya).
The handshake was used to relaunch the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a constitutional amendment process designed to create additional executive positions and entrench elite power-sharing. BBI became the major policy focus of Uhuru's second term, with both Uhuru and Raila driving the process through 2019-2020.
Government-opposition relations normalized. Raila's son attended state functions. Opposition parliamentary members occasionally voted with government on key legislation. The adversarial tone of the 2017 campaign evaporated.
Ruto's Marginalization
A major consequence of the handshake was the marginalization of Deputy President William Ruto. As Uhuru deepened ties with Raila, Ruto's political standing declined. Ruto had expected Uhuru's support for his 2022 presidential bid; instead, Uhuru was developing alternative power-sharing arrangements with Raila.
Ruto responded by building his own political base outside formal government structures. He traveled extensively, addressed rallies, and began positioning himself as representative of ordinary Kenyans against an elite cabal (Uhuru-Raila) hoarding power. This dynamic would culminate in Uhuru's support for Raila (over Ruto) in 2022.
International Dimension
The handshake was greeted with cautious international interest. International observers, Western governments, and multilateral institutions had been concerned about Kenya's political stability. The elite reconciliation was seen as positive for stability, though some questioned whether it undermined democratic competition.
There was speculation about external mediation: some alleged that international actors (particularly the AU, US, or UK) had facilitated the handshake. However, there was no public evidence of formal mediation. The handshake appeared primarily driven by domestic political calculation.
Democratic and Institutional Questions
The handshake raised questions about democracy in Kenya. A process that had been deeply contested (2017 election, Supreme Court invalidation) was resolved not through elections or accountability but through executive negotiation. This pattern, some analysts argued, reflected weak institutions and the dominance of personality-driven politics over rule-based governance.
The handshake also highlighted executive prerogative: major political realignments were announced suddenly, without parliamentary or party consultation. Citizens and even party members learned of the reconciliation from mass media. This reflected limited democratic institutionalism.
Critics also noted that the handshake benefited the two most prominent national figures (Uhuru and Raila) at the expense of alternative political voices or programmatic opposition. It was a power-consolidation mechanism, not a process for resolving underlying political tensions or democratic deficits.
Long-term Impact
The handshake was transformative for Uhuru's presidency. His second term pivoted from competitive politics to consensus governance. The BBI became his consuming focus. Political opposition within parliament nearly evaporated. Street-level political mobilization declined.
However, the handshake did not resolve Kenya's underlying political tensions. Ethnic polarization persisted. Economic grievances remained. The 2022 election, despite elite positioning, continued to mobilize ethnic identities. The handshake bought stability but not transformation.
See Also
- Raila Odinga
- Uhuru 2017 Election
- Uhuru BBI
- William Ruto
- Building Bridges Initiative
- Orange Democratic Movement
- Jubilee Party
- Kenyan Politics Post-2010
Sources
- Standard Media (2018). "The Handshake: Uhuru and Raila Reconcile." https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/
- Institute for Social Accountability (2018). "The Handshake and Governance in Kenya." https://isakenya.org/
- International Crisis Group (2018). "Kenya: The Handshake and After." https://www.crisisgroup.org/
- Nation Media Group (2021). "The Handshake: Five Years Later." https://www.nation.co.ke/