Stage for another round of violent anti-government countrywide mass protests slated to resume May 2, 2023 has been set following todays unprecedented collapse and indefinite suspension of bipartisan talks between opposition and government threatening to end a three weeks’ political truce.
The Azimio One Kenya coalition seven-member dialogue panel chaired by Otiende Amollo announced withdrawal and immediate suspension from the talks while his co-chair of the Kenya Kwanza George Murugara said the respective teams will meet their appointing authority, opposition leader Raila Odinga and president William Ruto respectively and give a report.
Henceforth, they will be guided on the way forward.
“We have hit a stalemate and we have suspended these talks until this time as there may be consensus on the lines reached.” Otiende said.
Azimio team accused their counterparts of mischief insisting that the inclusion of Eldas Member of Parliament (MP) Aden Keynan in the Kenya Kwanza dialogue team was unlawful since he was elected on a Jubilee Party ticket, an affiliate of Azimio.
Kenya Kwanza on the other hand said Pokot South MP David Pkosing’s Kenya Union Party (KUP) was affiliated to the ruling coalition.
“The objection to Pkosing is an afterthought, it was meant to counter our objection to Keynan so that it appears that the objections are on the same level…ours is in principle and theirs is in bad faith and we are not prepared to concede.” Otiende added.
The talks are already going down a slippery slope as members of the bi-partisan committee differ on the inclusion of MP Keynan and his Pokot South counterpart Pkosing, an issue they say must be resolved before formal business including the setting of the terms of reference of the committee can begin.
Murugara who also doubles as the Tharaka MP said each team will give respective reports to their boss.
“It is open to Otiende the co-chair and myself to meet the president as the appointing authority and Odinga as a co-principal so that we can give them a report.” Murugara noted.
During the inaugural meeting between the two teams held last week, opposition members opposed the inclusion of Keynan in Kenya Kwanza’s team while the Kenya Kwanza team opposed the inclusion of Pkosing in the Azimio team.
“We commit 100 per cent to ensure that these talks are carried through until the country realises the benefits, the problems are solved.” Murugara added.
“We have engaged with ourselves, we have engaged with the appointing authority and we are unable to come to an agreement and that is why we have not told you we are adjourning to next week, we don’t want to give Kenyans false hope,” Amollo added.
The committee is set to face another test when the talks to outline the agenda of the committee begin; Kenya Kwanza insists on talks to streamline the reconstitution of the polls body IEBC while Azimio wants the scope widened.
“We have to see if we are Parliamentary then we are within the confines of the law and the standing orders, if we are extra-Parliamentary we will need a legal backing or policy so that it does not defy the Constitution,” Murugara noted.
The Azimio team has announced its intention to resume street protests on Tuesday next week accusing their counterparts of acting in bad faith.
