United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala, on Tuesday, April 4, claimed that Azimio Leader Raila Odinga's biggest mistake in accepting to call off demonstrations was his haste to accept President William Ruto's olive branch.
In doing so, Malala argued, Raila exposed the true intentions of his two-week-long demonstrations against the government.
“When the President extended an olive branch to Raila, he quickly accepted when he heard we will engage in the reconstruction of the Independent Electoral Boundaries and Commission (IEBC).
“He forgot to raise the issues of cost of living, and other issues that were affecting Kenyans,” he claimed, despite Raila, in his statement advocating for the same. The cost of living, Raila underlined, was among the irreducible minimums.
However, the former Kakamega senator added that Raila's proposals could be accommodated within a bipartisan committee that will carry our public participation.
Malala’s sentiments were supported by political analyst Abdullahi Alas who remarked that the former prime minister hastily accepted Ruto's proposal.
“I think Raila said yes too quickly. He should have analysed what Ruto offered first.
“Then he would have told the President that they would talk on the issues raised, but an interim committee will precede that to discuss the mechanics and modalities of instituting what to do,” Alas stated while speaking as a panellist on a TV morning show.
Alas argued that Raila's change of heart, from a solely parliamentary approach to a discussion akin to the 2008 National Accord led by former United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, was after he realized he may have been played.
“Parliament is not where you go to do political rallies. It is where the Constitution and standing orders are going to be followed.
“It has now dawned on Raila that he will not get a fair representation in parliament since Ruto has a majority. He wants now to take the discussion outside parliament where he can employ the services of James Orengo, Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and other legal minds,” Alas opined about Raila’s change of heart.
On Tuesday, April 4, Raila argued that Ruto's statement did not reflect the understanding between the parties negotiating a truce.
"That statement fell short of what had been agreed, and they know it. We assure our people and Kenyans that our eyes are firmly on the ball and reiterate that we shall go back to the people at the earliest sign of lack of seriousness by the other side," Raila warned.
Prof Gitile Naituli, a Business Management and Leadership Development strategist, also opined why Raila was sceptical of having the bipartisan approach dialogue confined in parliament chambers.
“Azimio has weighty issues; when you go to Parliament, you surrender to its rules and regulations. You can negotiate outside, have an agreed document and take it to parliament as a fait accompli,” he reasoned, with some analysts further arguing that Ruto had already infiltrated the Parliament.
Among the demands, Raila listed for negotiation was that Ruto desists from dismembering the opposition. Several Azimio politicians decamped to Kenya Kwanza after the election, with the former Prime Minister claiming that the Executive had captured the Parliament.
Nonetheless, Law Society of Kenya president, Eric Theuri advocated for a national dialogue guided by fidelity to the law and the Constitution.
"We should be seeing bipartisan proposals on how to enforce our tax regime, how to give reliefs to businesses, looking at the cost of electricity," Theuri stated on Tuesday, April 4.
"Statements made by President Ruto & Raila Odinga were surface-level compared to the issues raised during demonstrations. None of them projected confidence in resolving the high cost of living issues," Diana Gichengo – National Coordinator, The Institute of Social Accountability (TISA), argued.
In a statement released on Tuesday, April 4, Raila revealed that Azimio was creating a 14-member team to participate in the discussions and demanded that the talks mirror the National Accord Act of 2008 that birthed the position of Prime Minister.
