Raila: Kirubi helped heal the country during PEV
Raila Odinga has remembered fallen businessman Chris Kirubi as the man who persuaded him to agree on a peace pact with former President Mwai Kibaki in the aftermath of the controversial 2007 general elections.
Odinga divulged that Kirubi and another individual he was hesitant to disclose, convinced him to have a meeting with the retired president after riots broke out across the country after the Electoral Commission announced Kibaki as the winner of the disputed exercise.
The opposition leader spoke on Friday, June 18, during the memorial service of the late businessman at in Nairobi.
He said the meeting with the deceased culminated in a sitting between him and Kibaki at Sagana which halted the 2007/2008 post-election violence.
“Chris Kirubi was among two individuals who approached me to have a dialogue. I cannot disclose the other one,”
“In the meeting, arrangements were made for Sagana where we eventually reached an agreement,” said the ODM leader.
Another veteran politician Musalia Mudavadi remembered the acclaimed businessman for his straight forwardness and penchant for calling a spade a spade.
“Chris Kirubi was extremely candid. When you are talking to him and you have an idea or opinion, he would not tell you it’s a bad opinion, he would tell you it’s a stupid opinion,”
“That’s how candid he was. Because when you say it’s not a bad opinion, he was being polite but Chris was straight, he would shoot from the hip,” said Mudavadi.
The ANC boss reminisced about his tenure as minister for finance disclosing how he sought advice from the astute investor in the five years he served in the post.
“During my time as minister for finance I shared a lot with Chris because he had the pulse of the economy at his fingertips, political situation…for the five years I read the budget of this country as the minister for finance one of the key people that you would have to seek advice from so that you would know whether you are getting right or not was Chr