The 14-member Bipartisan Committee comprising of Azimio and Kenya Kwanza Parliamentarians on Wednesday, May 10, agreed to honour former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's demands.
Kenya Kwanza wing of the Bipartisan Committee agreed to Raila's ultimatum that the talks be concluded within 30 days with another thirty-day extension should the members fail to reach resolutions in time.
While addressing the press at the Bomas of Kenya, the Bipartisan Committee noted that they were ready to continue with the talks, and should there be a need to extend time, they will gladly brief the nation.
"As Azimio, we had given a timeframe of 30 days and Kenya Kwanza 90 days. We have however agreed to constrain that time to a maximum of 60 days, with the more urgent issues to be dealt with within the first 30 days," Bipartisan Committee Co-chairman Otiende Amollo stated.
The Orange Democratic Move (ODM) Party Leader also gave President William Ruto 48 hours for his side to come to the table for talks, failure to which he would call for another round of mass action.
The committee also unanimously agreed not to attend to preliminary objections that had been raised by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega, demanding that the Jubilee Party be included in the ongoing talks.
"We received a letter from the Jubilee party protesting the removal of Adan Keynan and indicating that they need that matter addressed. We agreed that the question of the Constitution of respective teams is not for this team to discuss," Otiende stated.
In a letter addressed to the Bipartisan Committee, Kega wondered why the Jubilee Party was left without a representative yet it's one of the largest political outfits in the country.
Kega noted that the stepping down of Eldas MP Adan Keynan left his party exposed, as such, he demanded an immediate resolution that would ensure that Jubilee Party's political views were well represented.
“We write to protest the exclusion of the Jubilee Party in the proposed membership of your committee. The proposed mandate of your committee will have far-reaching implications in our electoral process in which Jubilee Party is a major stakeholder.
The Kenya Kwanza Coalition's Preliminary List of Issues
1. Reconstitution of IEBC Commissioners selection panel
2. The two-thirds gender rule, the entrenchment of NG- CDF, NGAAF and Senate oversight funds in the Constitution.
3. Creation of office Leader of Official Opposition
4. Resolving insecurity problems, including banditry and urban gangs
5. Legal framework to give effect to Article 37 of the CoK, regulate conduct and assign responsibilities to different parties, including organizers of demonstrations
6. Electoral reforms to ensure closure of electoral outcomes for post-election peace and national stability, including measures to forestall a repeat of the events of 15th August 2022 at the Bomas results declaration crisis.
7. Review Legal, policy and administrative safeguards to protect government and state institutions from state capture.
The Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition's Preliminary List of Issues
1. Cost of Living
2. Audit of 2022 Presidential Elections Results
3. Restructuring and Reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Related Matters
4. Measures to Prevent Interference with Political Parties
5. Outstanding Constitutional Matters: Governance Issues Effective Checks and Balances the Question of Boundaries Delimitation.
