Former Gusii councillors challenge Ruto, Raila for talks

Former Gusii Councilors Association leaders now want President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga to sit down and talk.

Only dialogue, said association chair Casper Gichana, can end the violent street battles as those witnessed in Nairobi, Kisumu and Migori for the better part of Monday.

The protests saw Odinga's convoy teargassed as it snaked in and out of the populous eastern parts of the Capital.

By evening hours, there were reports of arrests.

Several others were left nursing injuries as police in riot gear battled the protesters.

Odinga has since vowed to turn up in the streets every Monday to scale up the push for a reduction of food prices and the general cost of living.

But speaking in Kisii, the former councillors said, while Odinga had a point, dragging Kenyans to the streets was unwise.

Gichana said there is no clear winner in the ongoing standoff.

"Our country has enjoyed relative peace for a long but it can go in unguarded moments as of today," said Gichana.

"My singular call to President William Ruto and Odinga is to sit down and have a man-to-man talk and resolve the standoff." 

The two-Ruto and Odinga-, stated Gichana, should listen to the advice recently given by the clergy, especially on the need to abandon their hardline positions and engage each other.

"Let them forgo their selfish interests and put the interests of the country forward, and am sure this involves confronting the harsh realities of the time," added Gichana.

Gichana spoke on Monday evening even as residents across Kisii County backed down from the Raila-backed anti-government protests Monday.

The heavy presence of police in the streets of the County capital, Kisii appear to have put brakes to the demos.

Regional ODM chair Kerosi Ondieki however termed the 'protests', successful.

"If you look at the overall effect especially the work boycott witnessed today, then it was successful," he told the Star on Monday evening.

Gesusu MCA Anthony Onkundi (UDA) said six months was still short a time for Kenyans to fault the Ruto administration that it was not doing much.

"He inherited a government in its death bed which he is still trying to resuscitate and thus the need to indulge patience," he told the Star at his office.