Azimio issues 6-day ultimatum as talks hit snag

Azimio has given their Kenya Kwanza counterparts a six-day ultimatum to provisionally yield to the four substantive issues they have raised or consider the talks dead.

In a statement on Wednesday, Azimio said the Kenya Kwanza camp must accept their demands on an interim basis in line with provisions of the framework agreement that set up the talks or the process will stand dissolved.

The statement was released after the Azimio leadership received a progress report on the talks by a delegation to the bipartisan talks.

"The meeting resolved and has given authority to our team in the bipartisan talks to issue a notice of dissolution of the talks in the event Kenya Kwanza will not publicly accede to the interim measures in the next six days in line with the provisions of the framework agreement," Azimio stated.

The framework agreement provides for a seven-day suspension of talks in the event of a stalemate. Azimio said the talks hit a snag on Tuesday.

The outfit said the talks were proceeding well until that point the four substantive issues they have raised came up for discussion.

These are lowering the cost of living, auditing of IEBC election servers, restructuring and reconstitution of IEBC and non-interference of Azimio parties by the Kenya Kwanza government for purposes of killing or talking over the parties.

 "It is a standard procedure that for any team of negotiators to delve into substantive issues, they need to agree to take preliminary steps that preserve the substantive matters," Azimio said.

"Unfortunately, our team met resistance, hostility and outright rejection on all the desired preliminary actions," the outfit said.

"In other words, Kenya Kwanza wants to continue with measures that make the cost of living even more expensive, they want to interfere with IEBC servers, proceed with the picking of new IEBC commissioners and continue invading Azimio parties as we sit in board rooms talking about the same issues."

In the prevailing circumstances, Azimio under the leadership of Raila Odinga said the talks are now on the brink of total collapse unless their counterparts under President William Ruto's leadership cede ground.

"If at the end of the seven days, we will not be able to resume. The talks will be considered to have collapsed. Thereafter, the Azimio Coalition will communicate our next cause of action at a parliamentary group meeting scheduled for Tuesday next week."