The Kenya Kwanza team in the bipartisan committee has called on Azimio, a political alliance led by Raila Odinga, to choose between dialogue or street protests. The group stated that both activities could not coincide and urged Azimio to suspend demonstrations during talks.
At a press conference at Parliament Buildings on Tuesday, committee co-chair George Muragura said, “If they insist on demonstrations as we talk, then that defeats the purpose. As talks go on, they must suspend the demonstrations. There cannot be dialogue simultaneous with street protests. The two cannot go together. Either we talk, or they demonstrate.”
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The Tharaka MP also emphasized their willingness to bend for the country’s sake and urged Azimio to reconsider their position. “We are open to bending over and over again. No issue is greater than this country,” he said.
Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale called on Raila Odinga to allow his negotiators to have a free hand in the dialogue for peace. “I want to appeal to him for the sake of peace that he should allow his committee to talk to us,” Khalwale said.
The bipartisan talks committee accompanied the Kenya Kwanza team. The team’s call for dialogue comes amid political tension in the country as Azimio pushes for electoral reforms ahead of the 2022 general election.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta formed the bipartisan committee to broker talks between Azimio and other political parties. The committee has been meeting with Azimio’s negotiating team to discuss electoral reforms, but talks have stalled in recent weeks as Azimio continues to hold street protests across the country.
