Raila holds meeting with Azimio side of bipartisan talks team
Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition party Azimio, met with the National Dialogue Committee’s opposition delegation on Tuesday amid concerns about the pace of the negotiations.
The meeting also follows Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s demand that the audit of the results of the presidential election of 2022 be removed from the committee’s agenda.
According to sources cited by PoliticalPulseChat, the leader of the opposition is meeting the Azimio faction at the Kalonzo Musyoka Command Centre in Karen, Nairobi.
“The slow pace of the talks will highly feature in the meeting,” the insider said.
Since the beginning of the talks, the National Dialogue Committee has made little progress in resolving the concerns raised by Kenya Kwanza and Azimio.
The committee co-chaired by Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka (Azimio) and National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah (Kenya Kwanza) has signed its framework of agreement, but its work is still in its infancy.
Gachagua insisted on Sunday in Laare that the 2022 presidential election was audited by the Supreme Court, which declared William Ruto to be the legitimately elected President.
“Discussing the 2022 presidential election should be dropped. Let them proceed with the other agenda. Let them talk about reconstituting IEBC, embedding the Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary and others,” he said.
ALSO READ: Drop 2022 Presidential Election Audit from Bipartisan Talks, Gachagua Urges
The committee is anticipated to recommend legal and policy reforms on issues affecting Kenyans in line with the Constitution and respecting the functional and institutional integrity of state organs.
KenyaKwanza cited the reconstitution of the IEBC, the implementation of the two-thirds gender rule, the consolidation of the CDF, the establishment of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, and the incorporation of the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary as the topics of discussion.
Azimio, on the other hand, cited the cost of living, the audit of the results of the presidential election in 2022, and the reorganization and reconstitution of the IEBC.
The National Dialogue Committee’s work schedule is jeopardized by the frequent travels of key panel members, which threatens to drag down the entire process.
Opiyo Wandayi, the Leader of the Minority Party in the National Assembly, Eugene Wamalwa, the Party Leader of DAP-K, Okon’go Omogeni, the Senator for Nyamira, and Amina Mnyazi, the Member of Parliament for Malindi, are the other members of the Azimio faction.
Kenya Kwanza side consists of Embu governor Ceceil Mbarire, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot, legislators Hassan Omara (EALA) and Catherine Wambilianga (Bungoma Women Rep), and Senate Minority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot.
Raila holds meeting with Azimio side of bipartisan talks team
