Bipartisan Committee Fails to Agree on Key Issues as Talks Resume

by Mark Obar on Wednesday, 10 May 2023 - 10:46 am

The Kenya Kwanza, Azimio Coalition bipartisan talks team met for the first time on Thursday, April 20 2023 at Villa Rosa Kempinsky Hotel in Nairobi.

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Senator Esther Okenyuri

The Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja bipartisan committees resumed talks on Wednesday, May 10, after a week of disagreement on terms of negotiations.

The 14-member committee met to thrash out the preliminary issues and pave the way for crucial discussions which will guide the country on a number of legal, economic and political issues.

While the two wings of the country's biggest political outfits seem dedicated to the talks and brokering a truce between President William Ruto and opposition chief Raila Odinga, it became apparent that members of the Bipartisan Committee failed to agree on a key fundamental issue.

The committees are yet to agree on the timeframe within which the pressing issues should be addressed and resolution reached and forwarded to the Principals.

Chair of the Azimio bi-partisan talks team Otiende Amolo and other negotiators during a press briefing in Nairobi on April 13, 2023.

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Azimio la Umoja

"We are treating these issues with the utmost attention they deserve and we know that we'll reach an agreement," Bipartisan Committee Co-chairman, Murugara.

Azimio la Umoja had demanded that the talks should be concluded within thirty days failure to which they would consider returning to the streets.

However, Kenya Kwanza wants more time in order to deliberate on the issues which they noted should be addressed with sobriety.

The Bipartisan Committee also seeks to iron out differences on whether they will go the Parliamentary or extra-Parliamentary route.

Azimio la Umoja had insisted on an extra-Parliamentary route while Kenya Kwanza opted for a Legislative framework.

The grandstanding by the two parties threatened to throw the talks into fresh headwinds just days after the two sides hammered out a deal on the membership of the team.

In a delicate balancing act, the Committee co-chaired by MPs George Murugara (Tharaka) and Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), noted that the team had agreed on joint Secretaries.

As a result, Kenya Kwanza appointed Muthomi Thiangkolu while Azimio la Umoja appointed Raila Odinga's long-term aide, Paul Mwangi.

Other contentious issues included the lowering of the price of unga to Ksh100 per 2 kilograms, a discussion that is seemingly getting colder by the day.