Nairobi — President William Ruto avoided a public statement of Sunday as he attended Easter Sunday at his home town of Eldoret with his press team only circulating still images.
Ruto joined a congregation at the African Inland Church (AIC) Fellowship.
His predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta whom Ruto-allied lawmakers have accused of supporting sabotage against government by opposition leader Raila Odinga equally kept off the press when he attended mass in Nyali, Mombasa.
Kenyatta who chauffeured himself avoided questions from a group of reporters as he drove away from mass at Saint Francis Catholic Church only acknowledging greetings as his security detail shielded him.
Odinga kept a low profile with his team sharing no schedule of public engagements.
The subdued political activity by the three leaders precede a week that could see the onset of a highly anticipated bi-partisan process in Parliament over the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
In a conspicuous departure from tradition, Ruto's church attendance was not streamed live on his Twitter handle neither did the State broadcaster, KBC, televise the church service.
State House later shared images of the President and his family attending the service, but shared no audio or video recordings.
In a tweet, the President shared a Bible verse on the resurrection of Jesus, saying, "And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power."
Violent demonstrations
Miles away in Mombasa, Kenyatta made his first public appearance since the invasion of his Northlands estate by goons on March 27 amid clashes pitting anti-government supporters against those affiliated to the ruling party.
Talks to address demands by the Kenyatta-backed Azimio Coalition led by Odinga were anticipated to begin in the coming days after the opposition named seven lawmakers to represent the alliance.
Ruto proposed the bi-partisan talks within Parliament on April 2 in a move that saw Odinga suspend down bi-weekly anti-government protests.
In a televised address to the nation the Head of State suggested that he was ready and willing to engage with Odinga on the reconstitution of IEBC through a bipartisan approach in Parliament.
Consequently, President Ruto asked Odinga to call off the planned anti-government protest scheduled for Monday.
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"I have carefully listened to the issues raised by my friend Raila Odinga. In times like this, it is not about who is right or who is wrong. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak but it is also what it takes to sit down and listen," he said.
Odinga has been pushing for his involvement in the reconstitution of IEBC, insisting that President Ruto's administration must prioritize the electoral reforms.
He heeded to the president's call and suspended demos to pave way for the bi-partisan process.
Bi-partisan talks
On Thursday, Azimio named its 7-member team during the coalition's Parliamentary Group meeting held in Machakos to engage in the bipartisan parliamentary dialogue.
The nominees are Ledama Ole Kina (Narok), Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), Enock Wambua (Kitui), Amina Mnyazi (Malindi), David Pkosing (Pokot South) and Otiende Amollo (Rarieda).
President has ruled out a 'handshake' similar to the March 2018 deal between Kenyatta and Odinga.
The Ruto affirmed that he will not get into any "unconstitutional" political arrangement with the opposition when asked on the prospect of a handshake.
"I want to tell you, there will be no handshake. But there will be an engagement in parliament on the issues that have been raised in parliament," he said while fielding question from the media in Kigali during a State Visit to Rwanda on April 4.
