Hours after constituting a seven-member team on Thursday, April 6, to engage President William Ruto's side on bipartisan talks, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga encountered opposition from a section of Azimio lawmakers.
Led by Embakasi East Member of Parliament Paul Ongiri alias Babu Owino, Raila was called out for allegedly neglecting the youth in the team fronted to face the government.
Babu Owino castigated the Azimio leader in his argument, claiming that the youth ought to have been featured in the lineup to engage Kenya Kwanza's side on bipartisan talks.
Justifying his arguments, the second-term member of parliament alleged that the youth faced police brutality during weekly protests and needed to be included in the lineup to express their opinions.
"A team has been set up to Represent Azimio in the Bipartisan talks.I wish them well. However, it would have been more effective and efficient if a youth was part of the team because it’s the youth who still at the forefront of the struggle," Babu Owino stated.
Former Nairobi Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko supported Babu Owino's sentiments indicating that the MP was loyal to Raila even during the anti-government protests.
"It is not fair to leave Babu Owino out of the committee the way he has braced teargas to support you in protests. Be loyal Baba," Sonko wrote.
Besides Babu Owino, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai challenged Raila's decision to pick a seven-member team to represent his side in bipartisan talks.
Alai noted that members of the county assembly would have advanced Azimio's demands without being compromised.
"It's a team which might not work well for us. MCAs drove the resistance against impunity. MPs sold us off and were even bought in the National Assembly and Senate," Alai stated.
Who are in the team
Azimio picked three senators and four Members of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the bipartisan parliamentary talks. They included Senators Ledama Olekina (Narok), Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi), Enoch Wambua (Kitui), and MPs David Kosing (Pokot South), Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), and Amina Mnyanzi (Malindi).
Other principals, Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa, backed the members picked to represent Raila's interests. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta sent apologies for missing the meeting where the decision was ratified.
What Raila Wants
In his list of demands, Raila directed President Ruto to lower living costs, open the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers, and reinstatement of dismissed commissioners led by Juliana Cherera, the former IEBC vice chairperson.
Raila also directed Ruto to reconstitute the team seeking to appoint new IEBC commissioners to replace former chairperson Wafula Chebukati, and ex-commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye.
However, Ruto stated that he was open to engaging with Azimio but, through a parliamentary process ruling out the idea of a handshake or grand coalition government.
