Raila Team Rejects UDA Rules on Bipartisan Talks, Issues 4 Demands

Azimio la Umoja Coalition on Tuesday, April 18, warned that it will utterly reject a motion drafted by the Kenya Kwanza Parliamentarians in a bid to establish the Bipartisan Committee. 

 

Speaking at the Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka (SKM) Centre in Nairobi, the Raila Odinga-led coalition accused President William Ruto of acting in bad faith by not consulting them over the upcoming bipartisan motion. 

 

"When Hon. Ruto invited us for talks, he did not in his speech, capture the entire framework for talks as had been agreed upon with the emissaries he sent to us. This includes leaving out key issues on the cost of living and electoral justice which are of utmost importance to us and the people of Kenya," Kalonzo read. 

 

The statement, which claimed that National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah did not consult the opposition during the drafting of the motion, was read by Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

"The motion is disguised as a product of bipartisanship when in fact, the leadership of the Azimio la Umoja in Parliament was neither aware nor consulted over it," Kalozo read. 

 

The Kenya Kwanza wing had presented a motion at the National Assembly, seeking to establish the bipartisan committee. 

 

"We have insisted on an extra-parliamentary process in view of the strictures of debate in Parliament. We will therefore not participate in any such parliamentary process." 

 

"The motion is disguised as a product of bipartisanship when in fact the leadership of Azimio in Parliament were neither aware nor consulted in its drafting. The motion purports to name members of the Minority Party to the so-called select committee without any reference to the Minority leadership in violation of the Standing Orders of both houses," Kalonzo read in a statement. 

 

The coalition was also not happy with the fact that Kenya Kwanza had taken too long to name the leader of the Bi-partisan committee, terming a lack of seriousness that was made worse by the inclusion of members of the Azimio Coalition of their team.

 

 

 

The coalition, hence, enlisted four demands that the Kenya Kwanza wing must meet before the demonstrations will stop. 

 

 

Azimio la Umoja demanded that the cost of basic commodities including prices for maize flour must be on the table for discussion. 

 

"We demand that the cost of unga (maize flour), electricity and fuel must be on the table for discussion even before anything else is canvased," read part of the statement. 

 

 

Azimio la Umoja added one more demand to the list of the many that they had previously presented to President William Ruto. The coalition stated that the government must compensate those who were injured or killed during the mass actions that took place for two weeks in Nairobi and other parts of the country. 

 

"We reiterate the call that the regime must immediately take up the hospital bills of all Kenyans who sustained injuries as a result of police brutality during the recent protests and pay reparations for those who lost property," Azimi la Umoja demanded. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Raila Odinga-led coalition equally demanded that the four commissioners who were either fire or forced to resign be reinstated forthwith, failure to which, they shall resume weekly protests at the end of Ramadhan and there shall be further communication in this regard.