- The re-connection is expected to shore up Raila's credentials as a veteran pro-reforms crusader and a champion of human and democratic rights.
- The veteran opposition leader has previously teamed up with the civil society and human rights crusaders in his push for democratic and constitutional reforms.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/TWITTER
Azimio leader Raila Odinga is aggressively reaching out to civil society to back his resistance against President William Ruto's government.
The re-connection is expected to shore up Raila's credentials as a veteran pro-reforms crusader and a champion of human and democratic rights.
The veteran opposition leader has previously teamed up with civil society and human rights crusaders in his push for democratic and constitutional reforms.
His running mate Martha Karua is also a well-known human rights and pro-reforms activist during the Nyayo era.
Her pick was largely seen as a move to present a credible and trustworthy ticket that would be entrusted with the country's leadership at a time when Ruto had been discredited.
However, in the lead-up to the 2022 general elections, there were fears that some civil society groups had abandoned him after he aggressively appeared to protect the previous Jubilee regime.
Raila was working closely with retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
On Thursday, Raila will hold a meeting with groups of civil society actors at Ufungamano House, a venue synonymous with pro-constitutional reforms gatherings.
The meeting will be attended by an array of civil society groups championing broad-based reforms in the country's electoral systems as well as seeking to secure democratic gains.
''Tomorrow[Thursday] starting at 9 am we shall be at Ufungamano Hall for a multi-sectoral leaders meeting hosted by civil society to discuss important issues affecting our nation,'' Raila tweeted.
The objectives of the meeting have been listed as charting a path for Kenya's salvation and engaging Kenyans on how to make the country great.
The meeting will develop a roadmap for national transformation, seeking solutions for the country's problems and charting the path for national unity.
This would be the first time that organised groups are joining Raila's push for wide-ranging reforms in the country amid signals of possible constitutional reforms.
The meeting comes at a time when Raila and President Ruto have picked teams to steer bipartisan talks on electoral reforms.
There have been indications that the Azimio protests and the police response to them provided a perfect redemption moment for the civil society players.
Most of them were considered partisan in the 2022 general election.
Suba Churchill, a veteran activist, says most of the civil society outfits and NGOs clandestinely consulted for the Ruto core strategy teams.
“Most of those people were deep in Kenya Kwanza. They proudly would say that some of the strategies and ideas fronted by the politicians were their own, including bottom-up [agenda],” he said.
He added that a majority of the partisan players in the civil society world have become disappointed as those in Azimio are stung by the pain of loss, while those on the Kenya Kwanza side are embarrassed by the perceived disinterest in government to implement the pro-people policies espoused during the campaigns.
“Most of them who were on the side of Kenya Kwanza are now too embarrassed to get back to championing the ideologies that the sector has always stood for," Churchill said.