Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has rejected a move by the government to have talks in Parliament, threatening to withdraw from the dialogue process.
For Raila, President William Ruto has “weakened Parliament, captured state institutions and co-opted the Judiciary to consolidate power”, hence not suited to take a lead role in the talks.
Raila left no doubt a second wave of mass action was possible.
“Power ultimately belongs to the people, who are now taking it back and demanding direct accountability from you,” Raila said.
The opposition side on Tuesday insisted it would not be party to any parliamentary process throwing the yet-to-begin dialogue into limbo.
In what could set the stage for a clash, President William Ruto's camp has insisted on the parliamentary route.
The Kenya Kwanza team has maintained they are ready to start the talks but only through the bipartisan team of MPs.
Confining the talks in Parliament was among the highlight of the terms of engagement of the 14-member select committee.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah spelled out this in his motion to Speaker Moses Wetang’ula recently.
The motion further provided that the dialogue be guided by the House Standing Orders, ignoring the opposition call for an extra-parliamentary approach.
“The proceedings of the joint committee shall be governed by the Standing Orders. The clerks of both Houses of Parliament shall provide secretarial services in accordance with the Standing Orders,” Ichung’wah said.
“The Majority and Minority party leaders shall provide joint rapporteurs to the Joint Select Committee, but the official record will be the Parliamentary Hansard.”
But in a presser at SKM Command Centre, Azimio leaders told Ruto to either move the talks outside Parliament or they ditch the process altogether.
Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka who read the statement said Azimio, though committed to meaningful talks, will not be sending its negotiators to the Select Committee proposed by Kenya Kwanza.
“We have insisted on an extra parliamentary process in view of the structures of debate in Parliament. We will therefore not participate in any such parliamentary process,” Kalonzo said.
“We remain committed to an extra parliamentary dialogue that is honest, transparent, meaningful and bipartisan in conception and execution."
"Our Members of Parliament in both houses shall not be party to any other process and particularly not the one proposed in the motion by Kenya Kwanza," he said.
Kalonzo spoke after meeting with members of the Azimio bipartisan team led by Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo at Karen.
The meeting was chaired by Raila and was attended by the Wiper leader, Narc Kenya boss Martha Karua, Jubilee Secretary general Jeremiah Kioni and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa.
In Parliament, Azimio made good its threat by failing to submit names of its members to the 14-member committee.
Submission of the names to the House is the first step in the setting up of the committee.
Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi faulted his Majority counterpart for purportedly drafting a motion on bipartisan talks without involving Azimio.
“I was taken aback when I read in the media that a motion has been forwarded to the Speaker about these bipartisan talks, my side was not consulted,” said the Ugunja lawmaker.
He admitted there are a number of issues the two sides needs to iron out before the talks began.
“There is no concurrence on the nature of these talks as far as the coalition I lead is concerned, this talks can only be extra Parliamentary,” Wandayi said.
“Our position is that we are ready and willing to engage in the talks as long as they are inclusive as possible and not confined in Parliament.”
His Majority counterpart Ichung’wah committed to have a forum with Azimio this week to strike a middle ground and set stage for the start of the talks.
According to the Kikuyu MP, the forum will bring together both Majority and Minority leaders as well as the co-chairs of the bipartisan team.
“Before the end of the day he (Minority leader) will receive a letter on his desk for a forum this week to harmonise these issues that have been raised. I am confident that working together as leaders, we will be able to harmonise these issues,” Ichung’wah said.
The move now throws Ruto camp back to the drawing board with the opposition threatening to marshal their supporters back to the streets immediately after the holy month of Ramadhan.
Kalonzo announced they will unveil a programme for the second phase of nationwide mass action immediately after the holy month of Ramadhan.
Ramadhan is set to end on April 20, meaning the opposition could mobilise supporters to the streets as from next week.
“The coalition shall resume its weekly protests at the end of Ramadhan and further communication in this regard,” the Wiper boss said.
The former Vice President further maintained that Azimio shall not lose focus of its demands, adding that they shall not allow the talks to digress from the four issues that saw opposition move to the streets.
"Our issues remain what we said before and they are reduction in the cost of unga, fuel, electricity and school fees, opening and audit of IEBC servers, bipartisan reform and constitution of IEBC, reinstatement of the four IEBC commissioners and end to the buying of MPs which threatens multiparty democracy," Kalonzo said.
-Edited by SKanyara