- Azimio insists cost of living and inclusivity must be part of talks.
- Kenya Kwanza wants talks to be centered on only five items.
Image: PCS
Hard line positions, grandstanding are threatening to scuttle the mediation talks between President William Ruto and Azimio chief Raila Odinga as two sides sharply differed ahead of the talks.
Ruto side on Wednesday unveiled its team of five negotiators with clear instructions to deliberate on only five agenda issues.
The five agenda items have been rejected by the Raila team.
National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah will lead the Ruto delegation in the talks that followed weeks of violent anti-government demonstrations.
The team also has Senate Majority leader Aaron Cheruiyot, Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, EALA MP Hassan Omar and Bungoma MP Catherine Wambilianga.
They will join the Azimio team led by Wiper Party leader and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, a co-principal in the opposition outfit in mediation chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Also in the Azimio team are former Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, National Assembly Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi, Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi and Nyamira Senator Okong'o Omogeni.
Even before the two sides hold their first meeting, already there is serious deadlock as each team line parallel agenda for the talks.
Ruto team yesterday insisted that they will only engage on the five agenda items allegedly agreed upon during the Saturday Mombasa meeting attended by the President, Raila and Obasanjo.
“This team is mandated to engage on the five-point agenda agreed upon. Azimio at the very least should have the decency to abide by the five issues agreed at the meeting,” Ichung’wah said in a statement.
They include reconstitution of the IEBC, implementation of the two-thirds gender rule, entrenchment of Constituency Development Fund, establishment and the entrenchment of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition and embedment of the Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary.
The Kikuyu MP also told Azimio to forget any handshake or power sharing arrangement during the yet to start talks.
“As agreed, violence shall no longer and shall never be part of our nation’s political discourse. There shall be no discussion of whatever nature on matters handshake or “nusu mkate,” Ichung’wah said on Wednesday.
However, the opposition fired a warning to Kenya Kwanza accusing them of trying to dictate the agenda of the talks.
The opposition has listed cost of living, audit of 2022 polls, reconstitution of IEBC, inclusivity in national affairs and respect for political parties in line with the constitution.
Ruto side has however maintained they were ready for a return to street protests if the opposition insisted on discussing the cost of living.
Azimio also indicated they were keen on a time-bound programme of talks that should take one month beginning August 1.
Kenya Kwanza has been silent on the timelines for the talks.
With the ensuing grandstanding, it remains to be seen whether the talks will take off. Similar hard positions and disagreement on the agenda contributed to the collapse of the bipartisan talks.
Wandayi on Wednesday maintained they will stick to their position signalling fireworks when the team finally settles for talks.
“Our statement issued on Sunday was very comprehensive,” Wandayi said on phone.
A similar initiative dubbed bipartisan talks suffered stillbirth after Azimio and Kenya Kwanza disagreed on almost all issues leading to the opposition withdrawing from the talks.