- Azimio want government to publicly commit to address their demands.
- The six-day ultimatum elapses on Tuesday.
Image: RAILA ODINGA/TWITTER
Azimio leader Raila Odinga has directed his bipartisan team to pursue dissolution of the committee in six days if the government will not yield to opposition demands.
Some of the interim concerns of Azimio are the cessation of invasion of coalition affiliate parties especially Jubilee Party, preservation of IEBC presidential servers and reducing the high cost of living.
The opposition also demanded suspension of the IEBC Selection process.
Yesterday, Azimio gave a six-day ultimatum within which the government must publicly commit to the demands failure to which they threatened non-specified action.
The six-day ultimatum elapses on Tuesday next week, the same day the coalition will be holding their Parliamentary Group meeting.
Raila camp claimed that the Kenya Kwanza is treating the talks as a process of managing the political situation as they continue with the business as usual.
This is the second time the talks are ending in a stalemate.
Last month, Azimio withdrew from the talks after they disagreed on the membership of the joint committee.
“We endorse the decision by our delegation to walk out of the talks. Until Kenya Kwanza agrees to deal with the interim issues raised by our team, the talks will remain suspended,” Azimio said in a statement.
“The meeting 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,” DAPK leader Eugine Wamalwa said.
The former Defense CS reiterated Azimio will not negotiate on their demands on IEBC server, cost of living, cessation of attacks in Jubilee and other political parties.
The opposition also demanded for the resignation of Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu over whom they claim is unable to protect parties.
“The Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu must leave office in view of clear manifestations that she has been co-opted into partisan and illegal schemes by Kenya Kwanza to cripple instead of protecting political parties,” Wamalwa said.
“Anne Nderitu no longer enjoys the confidence of her clients, the political parties.”
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni accused the Registrar of falsifying government documents to aid the Jubilee takeover.
“We saw her backdating letters; she is the one trying to sanitise the invasion of political parties,” the former Ndaragwa MP said.
The leaders spoke after receiving progress report on the talks and events leading to the decision to suspend the talks.
The meeting chaired by Raila was also attended Narc Kenya boss Martha Karua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Roots Party leader George Wajakhoyah and the seven members in the bipartisan team.
On Wednesday the two sides were caught up in blame games with Azimio accusing Kenya Kwanza of treating the dialogue casually.
Kenya kwanza on the other hand fought off any wrong doing claim accusing Azimio of trying to revisit matters that had been settled last week.
At the time of the stalemate, the bipartisan team was to start discussion on the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
A six member sub-committee chaired by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his Bomet counterpart Hillary Sigei were to table a report to the team but this did not happen as it emerged that only Azimio side had a report.
“There was to be one report even when there was disagreement among them, we expected two views in it,” said Tharaka MP George Murugara. He further explained that the sub-team did not meet as some members were out of the country.
His co-chair Otiende Amollo however accused them of unwillingness to cooperate on the matters of high cost of living and cessation of invasion of Azimio coalition parties especially Jubilee.
“Co-chair, you will recall that for your side, your team expressed unwillingness or inability to concede to any of our requests by way of interim measures,” Otiende said in his Tuesday letter to co-chair George Murugara.
“It is our considered opinion that the talks have encountered an irreconcilable difference on a fundamental matter of interim measures, and stand suspended for seven days as provided, pending any consensus reached otherwise, before dissolution on expiry of seven days, in the event.”